The Contract Rules
by The-Passionate-Sun
Summary: FIN. Rory Hayden's always had a relatively uncomplicated life. But now she's moving to New York, falling in love, and getting engaged...not necessarily in that order. R/L.
1. You! I know you!

A/N: I really hated the way Logan and Rory ended. I really did. I think out of all of them, Logan somehow ended up the perfect guy for her. In some ways he was the complete opposite of her, in others he was her equal. Perfect guy. I want one!

My first Gilmore Girls story. Be kind. PLEASE REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or Alexis Bledel or Matt Czuchry (watch him in The Good Wife. He's mad good.)

In this story, Chris and Lorelai got married when Rory was four. April is not Luke's daughter, she is Chris and Lorelai's. Gigi is not Sherry's daughter, she is Lorelai's. Will is their youngest child, their son.

-RL-

"We have to have a movie night," Paris announced to Rory. "It'll be the perfect stress reliever."

"Who's stressed? Are you stressed, Paris? 'Cause I'm not stressed. I mean, yeah my parents are having a gigantic re-wedding renewal vow thing for my grandma even though they've been married for like 10 years and I have to plan it, a whole wedding, plus I'm probably going to be named the Hayden _and _Gilmore heiress on my twenty-first birthday, which means I'm going to inherit two companies I have no idea how to run and-" Rory rambled.

"Sooo, Christmas movies?" Paris cut her off.

"Christmas movies," Rory agreed.

"Oh, and hey, don't worry about the handling of the companies. Your husband can handle that. Although, he may come with a company of his own, so I dunno how much of a help that'll be," Paris said thoughtfully.

"Wait, husband what? No! Paris, it may have escaped your notice, but I am in fact, _not _married. Nor do I have a boyfriend," Rory pointed out.

"Not if your family has anything to do with it. Your grandmother called."

"Emily?"

"Emily."

"Oh god."

Rory checked the answering machine, and sure enough, there was a red light. Sighing, she played the messages.

"Hello Rory, it's your grandmother, Emily. I know that tomorrow isn't Friday, but I have organized a dinner event, and I'd like you to come, there's someone special I'd like you to meet. I have a feeling you'd like him. Bring your mother. Goodbye."

She pressed the delete button on the answering machine, and the red light disappeared. Gone. It was gone. Now she could pretend she had never gotten the voicemail and she wouldn't have to go.

Of course. You keep living under that rock, Hayden, she thought to herself.

"Wow. I was right. Imagine that. You gonna go?" Paris asked, gesturing to the phone.

"What? Paris no, of course not. I mean, I like my grandparents well enough but I'm not sitting through another stuffy dinner thing. Friday nights are enough."

"Friday nights don't count," Paris disagreed. "Your mother gets in a fight with her mother, your grandpa retreats into his study with your dad, and you and your sisters watch TV and Will colors all over the table. Tomorrow's not going to be anything like that."

"That hasn't happened since I was in Chilton."

"Either way, it's not going to be like tomorrow."

"How do _you _know what tomorrow's going to be like?"

"Because I've already had the so-called 'dinner event'" Paris explained. "Most likely they've picked out someone for you to marry." At Rory's incredulous expression, she added, "That's who the 'special someone' is. You might want to call your mom. Rant. Wallow. You know that thing you guys do. See if you can find out who your future husband is."

"Yeah. I think I will." Rory nodded. "But we're still doing movie night!" She picked up her phone and dialed, resting the phone in the crook of her neck. "And he's not my future husband!"

"Sure, let me just e-mail Doyle the final copy of my article. And then I can find a shovel so I can dig you out from under that rock.

"Paris," Rory checked her watch in disbelief. "It's 11:30. And I am not living under a rock."

"You're calling your mom, I'm e-mailing my boyfriend." Paris shrugged. "At least I'm practical. Gilmore."

"Yeah, about that. I'm a Hayden."

Paris shrugged again, then retreated to her room. "Let me know when you're done, _Hayden."_

"Fruit of my loins!" Lorelai picked up.

"I have bad news," Rory greeted.

"Oh, me too."

"I think I know what yours is."

"Does it involve a dinner event tomorrow at the stuffy Gilmore household where there will be guests and therefore the traditional Gilmore-Hayden Friday Night Dinner will not only NOT occur, but you will be introduced a potential husband?" Lorelai asked.

"Yep, that's it," Rory said gloomily. "Paris told me."

"No one told me! Well, my mother did, when she called me five minutes ago saying that Christopher and I _had _to come, and then...Wait, back up. Paris told you?" Lorelai asked incredulously. "Rory, how did she know?"

"Well, such is the way of the Hartford elite. Apparently, she had one, too."

"Oh, what a sad, sad world we live in," Lorelai quipped. "Boys are set up with Paris, too."

"Not funny! It's sad. I mean, Grandma doesn't even know what type of guy I like. What if we end up like Sid and Nancy?"

"To be fair, sweets, _you _don't even know what kind of guy you like. I mean, there was Dean, and Jess, and Tristan DuGray..."

"Yeah, okay, I get it. But I don't want to be having this conversation without coffee. It makes my head hurt."

"I get what you're feeling, babe. Hey, maybe Grandma picked out a nice guy for you. One you won't want to kill, and vice versa. Then you won't have to worry about whether you're Sid or you're Nancy."

"Or," Rory emphasized. "She could be throwing a party for you and Dad."

"Right, silly me, what with us getting our vows renewed and all. I'm sure in Emily Gilmore-land, that that constitutes as a 'small dinner event', not 'full-blown gala'."

"I'm grasping at straws, aren't I?"

"Yeah, sweets. Sorry. I'm sorry about my mother."

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry about her, too."

"Yeah."

"So tell me about Grandma calling you at 11:30 in the night," Rory changed the subject.

"Ah, change of subject. At this rate, you'll soon be ready for the art of subterfuge."

"Big words, Mom. Big words."

"Well, you know me, sweets. I dive into the dictionary every day."

"Be careful, you don't know how to swim."

"Rory! I'm insulted. Who do you think taught you how to swim?"

"Dad."

"Oh. Yeah, he did, huh."

Rory heard her father mumbling something in the background, and then Lorelai saying she had to go.

"Okay. Love you, Mom. Bye."

"Bye sweets. See you at dinner tomorrow night."

"I'll be there," Rory agreed.

Lorelai hung up, and Rory sighed. "I need a wallow."

"Paris!" she called. "We're doing some serious wallowing."

Paris came out of her room, phone nestled in the crook of her neck. "Okay, Doyle. You got it? Great, yeah. Goodnight."

"I miss Jamie," Rory commented.

Paris narrowed her eyes.

"For you," Rory added. "I miss Jamie for you."

"Whatever, Gilmore, Let's just start this wallow."

-RL-

When Rory and Paris walked into the Yale Daily News office to turn in Rory's article before going to Hartford the next day, for the doomed dinner party, they found Doyle arguing with a blond man.

"Who is that?" Rory whispered to Paris.

"I dunno, but he better not have his eye on the editor-in-chief." Paris narrowed her eyes. "It's mine."

"You mean Doyle or the position?"

Paris looked at her quizzically, as if to say 'are you really asking me that?'

"Right. Of course. I should have known. But come one, you have to learn that not everyone is her for the editor-in-chief spot. Loosen up a bit."

"It's a dog eat dog world, Rory. Survival of the fittest. The best man gets the job, and I will be the woman to do so."

"What? Paris, that makes no sense," Rory said. "Look. I just need to put this on Doyle's desk and then we'll go."

Paris nodded.

"Thank you."

"Rory!" Doyle called. "Someone I want you to meet."

Rory frowned. Doyle was glaring at the boy in front of him, and that didn't bode well- for her OR the blond.

"Go," Paris nudged Rory forward a few steps. "He's not going to bite. Well, he's not going to bite you at least."

"Dirty."

"Patience is a virtue, Rory. A virtue that, frankly, I don't have." Paris replied.

"Boy, are you full of proverbs today."

"Yeah. It's strangely enlightening. I should impart wisdom more often."

"By all means."

"Rory! We're not getting any younger here," Doyle yelled.

"Right, sorry," she said as she walked over. "Here's my article Doyle. Sorry, I know I should have had it in last night, but work and my grandma and my mom and stuff and you know how it is."

Doyle just looked at her, his expression flat. "No, Rory. I _don't _know how it is," he said. "Unfortunately for you. Anyways, forget about that, just don't do it again." he dismissed. "Logan, this is Rory."

Rory stared at him in disbelief. Did Doyle really just say to forget about it? She shrugged. If he didn't have a problem with it, she wasn't going to create one.

"This is Logan Huntzberger," Doyle introduced the blond. Logan stuck his hand out to Rory, who eyed it as if it contained the plague.

Logan smirked, "I don't bite, Ace."

"Ace?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "I just met you. Literally, _just _met you, and you already have a nickname for me?"

"Yeah. Doyle here was just telling me what an ace reporter you are. Compared to me, someone who's contributed four, maybe five articles in my entire two years here." Logan looked to Doyle, as if looking for confirmation. Doyle nodded and smiled in, what he thought was, a humorous smile. In reality, it made him look constipated.

"Entire two years..." Rory repeated. "But I've never seen you here."

"Yeah, I tend to not be around much," Logan laughed. "It's a habit. I don't stick to things."

"You!" Rory cried in recognition.

"Me!" Logan exclaimed confusedly.

"I know you!"

"You...do?" he asked.

"Yes you! You're Invisible Bob!" she shouted, pointing her finger into his chest. "The person who gets credit for being on this newspaper for God knows _what _reason, when you haven't published anything in the past two years, and you should be here, working...hard, like the rest of us. It's unfair. You're Invisible Bob."

"Invisible Bob," Logan said incredulously. "Seriously, Ace. Invisible Bob."

"Well, if you're not going to come into the newspaper and actually _submit _articles, then you don't deserve a name better than Bob," Rory stated defiantly. "Deal with it."

She turned to Doyle. "Here's my article," she said, slamming it into his chest. "I have to go. _I _have dinner with my grandparents. Goodbye, Doyle."

Without so much as a glance at Logan, she grabbed Paris and started walking to the door.

"Hey, Ace," Logan called after her. "Master and Commander."

"What?" Rory turned exasperatedly. "What about the movie?"

"Not the movie, that's what I want you to call me from now on," he smirked. She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and walked out the door. Paris, whose head had been going back and forth the whole time, turned to Logan.

"For the record, Huntzberger, Editor-In-Chief is mine," she said. "And if you try to take it from me, _bad things _will happen to you."

Logan cowered a bit, even though Paris was across the room.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Be scared, Huntz. Be scared." And then she, too, walked out of the room.

"So," Logan turned back to Doyle slowly. "Any other extremely talented reporters you want me to meet?"

"No. I think my girlfriend and her roommate are enough for one day." Doyle said. "But since you're here, get back to work."

"Wait, Rory's your girlfriend?" This blew his mind. What was a girl like Rory doing with a boy like Doyle?

"No, of course not. Like I would ever go for _Rory." _Yeah, 'cause that made sense. Doyle rejecting Rory. "Paris is my girlfriend," he continued. Doyle turned to look at Logan suspiciously. "Wait, why do you want to know?"

"Nothing, nothing, don't worry about it. She's not my type," Logan covered. "So, it was nice meeting you Doyle. I have to go."

"Wait, what? Logan! You just got here."

"And it's five o'clock. Which means if I want to be in Hartford by six, I should probably leave now. Nice seeing you again, Boyle," Logan said, walking away.

"It's Doyle!" Doyle called after him.

"That's what I said," Logan said with a shake of his head.

-RL-

"I can't believe we're still out here," Rory stated.

"I'm really, really cold," Chris said.

"Let's go home," Lorelai said, quickly turning around.

"Not so fast, Lor," Chris said, grabbing her arm and steering her back to her original position. "We have to go in there at some point."

The three of them were standing on the porch of Richard and Emily Gilmore's Hartford home, where they had been for the past twenty minutes since Rory's arrival. For the fifteen minutes before Rory's arrival, Chris and Lorelai had played the Alphabet Game sitting in the warmth of their car. They'd been using the excuse that they were waiting for Rory. Now, however, they had no excuse, and they were sure to be discovered soon. Self-preservation said that it would be less explosive if they entered the Gilmore House of Doom willingly, but neither of the three was ready to go in yet, frostbite or no.

"No, Chris we don't. Don't you see? This is just another excuse for our mother to ruin our daughter's life. What if we go in there and meet this guy and he and Rory get married and then they turn into Ozzy and Sharon Osborne? What then, Chris? What then?" Lorelai cried dramatically.

Chris stared at her. "Lorelai, don't you think you're being a little _too _dramatic? I mean, Emily set _us _up. Technically. And we turned out, okay. More than okay, actually," he grinned.

Lorelai smiled softly, "Yeah, we did, didn't we."

"Oh, gross. My parents are having a moment right in front of me," Rory covered her eyes. "Do you _have _to do that?"

"Hey, kid, we're your parents. It's our job to embarrass you." Chris wrapped his arm around his wife's waist.

"And I'd say we do it pretty darn well," she leaned into Chris. "Don't we?"

"Yeah. Back to going in there," Chris pointed at the door. "We're going to have to go in there sooner or later."

"I pick the later," Rory said firmly. "I like life as a single woman, thank you."

"Married life is not that bad!" Lorelai defended.

"_That _bad?" Chris raised an eyebrow. He turned to his daughter. "Besides, Gigi's in there. And Will."

"I don't see that being incentive for _you _to ring the doorbell, Christopher. What's your point here?"

Chris though about it for a second, and decided he really didn't have a point. "You're right," he agreed. "No incentive." While Emily Gilmore was considered the Wicked Witch of the West to most of the older members of the Hayden family (save Straub and Francine), she was as kind and loving to the youngest two members. Will and Gigi were, for the moment, safe.

"Wait," Rory's eyes widened in realization. "April's in there! And you know how Grandma's been wanting to fix her up for her debutante ball."

Chris let out a slow breath. "Well, it's now or never, people." Before either of the two Lorelais could stop him, he stepped forward and stuck his thumb out and pressed the doorbell firmly, as if he was giving his thumb print for entrance into top-secret CIA headquarters or something.

"Chris! No! Why'd you do that?" Lorelai cried.

"We needed to stop stalling," he answered firmly. "We are doing this for the children, Lorelai. For the children."

"Did he just-" Rory turned to her mother.

"Yep."

"I can't believe he did that."

"I can't either," Lorelai admitted.

"He rang the doorbell willingly, he said we should stop stalling, what's he going to do next? Insult coffee?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Speaking of, I could really use some right now."

"Me too, Mom. Me too."

"Join the club, Lorelai," Chris said.

"Please, Chris," she scoffed. "I _founded _the club."

"And I'm Vice-President, Dad." Rory added. "Sorry, I'd offer you a position, but April, Paris, and Sookie already took 'em."

Chris looked at them surprised. He hadn't realized they were being serious. Of course, he was talking to the Gilmore girls, so he didn't know why he was surprised.

The door opened, Emily Gilmore standing directly in front of them. Lorelai froze; Rory's eyes widened, and her eyebrows were raised high into her forehead; Chris was the only one who was able to mask his surprise quickly enough.

"Ah, Emily, good to see you," he leaned in for a hug and quick kiss on the cheek, then stepped inside.

"You as well, Christopher," Emily greeted. "Well, come in, you two. We don't have all day. As it is, you are very late," she said to her daughter and granddaughter. "This does not a wonderful first impression make, Rory."

"Sorry, Grandma. I got stuck at Yale. Paris had an emergency." Rory apologized.

"Well, don't let it happen again. Our guests have waited a while for you, and you're lucky that our guest of honor didn't complain. Though, that's all the better for you, my love." She gave a conspiratorial smile, then turned to Lorelai. "And what's your excuse, missy? Why are your children here before you?"

"I had stuff at the Inn, and Chris was held up at the office, and April was all too eager to help," Lorelai explained.

"She just got her license a few weeks ago, and she's wanted to drive her new car around everywhere." Chris jumped in. "And we thought it'd be better for the kids to come here earlier rather than an empty house."

"Oh," Emily smiled. "Well, we're always happy to have them. Now, Christopher, the men are all in Richard's study. Normally, you'd know where that was, but since you've both been so busy, you haven't visited us in almost five months! Come, I'll take you. Did you know we got the renovations finished last month? Richard moved his study into a completely new room. It's much larger now, you know. Very comfy. Very stylish, too," Emily Gilmore's voice faded as she led her son-in-law down the hallway. Chris looked over his shoulder, shrugging helplessly.

"Guests?" Lorelai turned to Rory. "As in, more than one?"

"Guests of HONOR?"

"She answered the door!"

"I know. She _never _answers the door."

"Did you see that smile? She is clearly hiding something."

"I know, it creeped me out," Rory agreed.

"And the 'all the better for you, my love.' It sounded like it was from Little Red Riding Hood."

"I wasn't even aware that Grandma _knew _Little Red Riding Hood. I don't believe this. My whole life is a lie."

"Oh, come on, kid. Who do you think the wolf was _based _on?"

"Based on what, Lorelai?" Emily asked as she walked toward them. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know the answer to that."

"Well, Mom," Lorelai started.

"No, Lorelai. I really don't want to know _what _goes through that _inane _head of yours."

"Mom!" Lorelai was scandalized. "My head is not inane."

"If you say so, Lorelai," Emily dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand. "Anyways, follow me. I don't understand why you're still here."

Rory pushed her mother in front of her as they started walking toward the formal dining room, using her as a shield for whatever was to come.

"Wait, what does she mean 'I don't understand why you're still here'? Does she want us to leave? Because I will do that. Gladly."

"Remember the children, Rory," her mother whispered back. "Remember Will and Gigi and April."

Lorelai followed Emily into the room, and sat down next to April, who immediately leaned over and started whispering rapidly into her mother's ear. Gigi ran to Emily, who picked her up and walked over to another woman Emily's age. The two of them started gushing at Gigi in a tone that made Rory faintly disgusted. Then, her attention landed on Will.

More importantly, on the tall, blond man who was swinging Will around. He turned around, grinning, holding a smiling Will in his arms.

"You!"

"Me," he played along grinning.

"I know you!" she cried desperately.

"You know, Ace. I could have sworn we've already had this conversation today."

"Oh. Well then you two already know each other! That's so wonderful," the woman holding Gigi said.

"Where are my manners?" Emily said. "Rory, this is Shira Huntzberger, and that's her son Logan."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Huntzberger," she bowed her head. Then she turned to Logan. "We've met," she said shortly. "And I was hoping that-"

"Well, that's great," Lorelai said. She could feel Rory's glare from across the room. And it wasn't even directed at her. "Mom, Shira, what exactly are we here for tonight?"

"What a wonderful question, Lorelai," Shira said. "As I'm sure you know by now, Logan and Rory are to be engaged soon. Tonight is just to 'hammer out the details', as Mitchum says."

Rory froze. Engaged?

She was going to need a lot of coffee.

-RL-

I hoped you guys liked it! Please review and let me know what you think. I have a lot of ideas for this story, but nothing's set in stone, so I'm all for ideas from you guys, too.

It's going to be a series, and I already have the basic plots planned out. One for each of the kids, Rory, April, Gigi, and Will. In that order.

REVIEW! Flames accepted.


	2. Invisible James

A/N: You guys are the best, seriously! I have a whole bunch of favorites and alerts and reviews, it made me so happy, and extremely motivated to write chapter two. It is kind of a filler chapter though, so beware. It had to be done, I'm sorry, but now that I know what direction I'm taking this story, it'll be easier to write. Chapter 3 will NOT be filler, don't worry! I'll try to update as soon as I can, but I'm gonna need reviews!

P.S. I suggest you thank EmiJa, 'cause without her, this chapter wouldn't be up as fast as it is. She's just...great, seriously.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. Or Alexis Bledel. Or Matt Czuchry (watch him in The Good Wife. He gets high off mushrooms).

"I can_not _believe they did that! How could they do that?" Rory shrieked. "I'm engaged! To Invisible-freaking-Bob. This is low. Even for Grandma."

"Wait, Invisible Bob?" April asked. "Who's 'Invisible Bob'?"

"Logan. Where have you been for the past four hours that I've been ranting, April?" Rory asked, annoyed. "Before dinner, after dinner, in the car ride home, after we got home..."

"I...was ignoring you. Besides, why Bob? It's such a generic name," April wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why not something...cool. Or charming. Like Chase, or James. James is sexy. It's like...Ye Olde English, but relatively modern at the same time."

Rory stared at her sister in disbelief, "Seriously? Are we really having this conversation?"

"Right, right, sorry! Continue," April. "Keep talking about Invisible James."

"Bob," Rory corrected. "And never mind. I'm just...tired of talking," she sighed as she sat down and fell backwards onto her bed. Suddenly, she was feeling extremely tired. "I just want to sleep. Or think. I don't know. I'm just tired."

"Well, it's been a long day. It's expected. Here, why don't I leave, and then we'll talk in the morning, okay?" April suggested. "You just need to be alone right now. This is a pretty big bombshell. You need time for the day to catch up with you."

"Well what about you? We haven't talked about _you. _Or the ball. Or your date."

"My _non-existent _date," April corrected.

"Not if Grandma has anything to do with it," Rory scoffed. "She'll find you a _James._"

"I'm trying not to think about that, actually. It's the one circumstance that I don't want a James," April said as she got up and opened the door. "I'm hoping if I avoid the subject, she will, too. Either that or I'm hoping she'll be too busy with you to find me 'the perfect society boy'"

"Out," Rory commanded April, throwing a pillow at her. "And don't come back tomorrow morning without coffee. And don't say that word in my presence!"

"What, 'boy'?" April said quizzically.

"'Society'. I hate society."

April laughed, then threw the pillow back at Rory and walked out, shutting the door behind her. Rory could hear her talking to her parents, but she didn't really care what they were saying. It didn't matter right now, she was too...conflicted.

Paris was right. Tonight's dinner hadn't been like any other, that was for sure.

To say that the night was eventful was an understatement. April, being the amazing sister she was, had excused herself and Rory approximately thirty seconds after the announcement, before Rory could make a fool of herself, saying that she wanted to tell her sister all about her upcoming debutante ball. Emily and Shira had cooed about how lovely it was that the two sisters were so close, and had let them go. Lorelai hadn't been so forgiving, since she had been stuck with Emily and Shira and Francine (once Francine had arrived), and had treated her older daughters to an original Lorelai Gilmore-Hayden rant.

How fun.

After leaving the room, the girls proceeded to spend the next half hour until dinner ranting and wallowing in Rory's bedroom at the Gilmore house.

Well, Rory had ranted and wallowed, and April had tried to keep in her laughter as best as she could.

She couldn't, which meant she pretty much laughed the whole time. She had then pointed out how attractive Logan was, which caused Rory to rant some more, and vehemently deny any attraction, physical or otherwise, towards him.

Dinner itself had been...awkward. Emily Gilmore, CEO of Creating Awkward Situations Worldwide, LLC., had seated Logan and Rory right next to each other, with April directly across from Rory, and Will across from Logan. In normal situations, Will would have chattered on happily to Logan, his charming new best friend (who he called 'Hoagie'), serving as a wonderful distraction.

Unfortunately, Will, who was three, had only wanted one thing since he realized what siblings were: a brother. Now, all he could talk about was how he would be getting one in the form of 'Hoagie'. And while the Gilmore's dining table was large, it wasn't large enough to fit fourteen people. This resulted in seats at the dinner table being closer than ever, and Rory could hardly move her spoon without brushing Logan's arm.

To his credit, though, Logan was seemingly unphased throughout the night, something that shocked and envied her. Of course, that also stuck her as off, but she was no Nancy Drew, and she had no desire to stay any longer than she had to just to figure it out. Whatever Logan was feeling, that wasn't her problem. Not yet, anyways.

As for how _she _was feeling. Well, she didn't know. She didn't have a boyfriend, but she wasn't looking for love, either. Logan himself was an arrogant jerk, but if he could charm her little brother, and play nice with Gigi, he couldn't have been _that _bad a guy, right? And she couldn't deny that he was attractive. There was just something about him that angered and amused her at the same time. He got under her skin, in a good way, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"Oh God," she groaned. "Paris was _right._"  
-RL-

"So how was it?" Honor's voice greeted him as he answered her call. "Did you like her?"

"Hello to you too," he replied.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she dismissed. "Was it everything you hoped it would be?"

"_Hoped_ it would be? Honor, I didn't _hope _it would be anything. I think you misunderstand my intentions, big sister."

"You _have _no intentions, Logan. You're just cruising through life doing nothing and drinking alcohol. Are you ever going to change?"

Logan pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it confusedly. "Did we have an intervention planned for tonight? Because I didn't get that memo."

Honor sighed, "That's not what this is. I want to know, did you like the girl or not?"

"Why, did you pick her out yourself?"

"I did not!" Honor was shocked. "I stayed as far away from this as I possibly could. The poor girl's done absolutely nothing to me, why would I want to ruin her life by suggesting she marry _you_?"

"Yeah, I love you, too, Honor."

"Really? Prove it."

"It was fine. I went, talked, ate, left."

"Bull. You screwed up."

"I love how much faith you have in me, sister, really. I appreciate it," Logan's voice got cold.

"Oh, Logan," Honor said softly. "I'm sorry, I really am. I promise, the claws are going in now. But you have to promise you'll tell me how the night goes, VERBATIM."

"Thank you, Honor," Logan replied, half smiling. "But I think you forget I'm not a girl."

"Logan, I am six months pregnant. I am living _vicariously _through you. Help me out here!"

"I do not want to know the implications of that sentence."

"Logan!"

"Alright, alright. So remember the girl I was telling you about? The feisty one, from the newspaper office?"

"The one that called you Invisible Bob? Of course I do. I liked her."

"...Honor, you haven't met her yet"

"Well, I'm obviously going to."

"And how do you figure that?"

"You mentioned her twice. You _never _mention a girl twice. And I asked you about dinner and you started talking about the Reporter Girl. So I'm thinking they're the same person. Oh, and you said 'yet'," Honor stated triumphantly. "I'm so good at this." She added giddily.

"Impressive."

"I know, right? But continue."

"So I get to dinner a half hour earlier, no I am not lying, you can ask Mom," he continued. "And not everyone's there yet, so naturally, we wait."

"Fun," Honor said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Has pregnancy made you more bi-polar than usual?"

"I am not bipolar, Logan! And stop straying from the damn topic, please." Honor huffed, out of patience.

"Right, sorry. Instead of waiting with the men, I waited with Emily Gilmore, her grandmother, and Mom. And these three other kids, her siblings."

"She has siblings? That's practically unheard of. Are you sure this family's Society?"

"You have a sibling," Logan reminded her. "Me. And yeah, they are Society. She's a Gilmore-Hayden. Blue-blooded, more-so than you and me."

"Impressive. And you only have ONE sibling. Very rarely do Society couples have more than two kids."

"Hm," Logan said thoughtfully. "Never realized that."

"Yeah. So back to the story."

"So her brother, Will, he's three. _The _cutest thing in the universe. I'm not even joking the kid's amazing. He calls me 'Hoagie'."

"'Hoagie?" Honor snorted.

"Yeah. It's cute, though. So he pretty much kept me occupied until Rory got there. And when she did, she scanned the room, and her eyes landed on me. So then we have a conversation which makes it clear to the rest of the room that we know each other, Mom and Emily announce that that's wonderful, and then Mom drops the bomb."

"She...drops the bomb?"

"She drops the bomb," Logan confirmed.

"Logan, you saying 'Mom dropped the _bomb' _leads me to believe that...Rory? She didn't..._know?" _Honor asked incredulously. "That is low! How could they not tell her?"

"I don't know. Maybe they thought she'd rebel?"

"I would, if I were her!"

"I would, too."

"But you're not."

"I need this, Honor. You know I do."

"I know, I'm sorry. Continue."

"April, her teenage sister, excused them, saying something about a ball and I don't know. They were upstairs for a really long time. And then Rory sat next to me at dinner, she didn't look at me, but we brushed arms a couple times. And then she left as soon as she could."

"Poor girl," Honor said sympathetically. "This sucks."

"Yeah. It does."

"So you brushed arms, huh?" Honor said knowingly.

"There were fourteen people at a ten-person table. We were crammed together."

"Oh. Well hey," Honor said cheerily. "At least you're not getting a blonde bimbo as a wife."

"I'm not in love with her," Logan said. "I want to marry someone when I fall in love with them."

"Never gonna happen, kid. You're a playboy through and through."

-RL-

"So I was right, huh?" Paris said knowingly. "Imagine that."

"I'm happy for you, Paris. I really am. But can we please get back to fixing this for me?"

"What's to fix? You, Rory Gilmore-Hayden, want to be a journalist. Your fiancé, Logan Huntzberger, is _future CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group_. I don't see the problem here." Paris spoke as if Rory were daft.

"Yeah, you wouldn't! Paris, that's why I hate this arrangement so much."

"You hate it because of the HPG thing?" Paris raised an eyebrow. "Not because your fiancé is the biggest playboy this side of the Atlantic? I mean, he's giving Prince Henry a run for his money."

"Harry," Rory corrected. "And stop calling him that."

"No, his name's Henry. Henry Charles Albert David. His parents decided he didn't look like a 'Henry', he was too mischievous. 'Harry' seemed like a better fit."

Rory paused and turned around. "How do you _know _this?" she asked loudly.

"It was in the 8th Anniversary of Lady Diana's death magazine that I picked up when I was in the UK last summer."

"I'm going to regret asking, but why did they have an 8th anniversary publication?"

"Beats me. But it was an HPG publication, so maybe your fiancé'd know."

"Stop calling him that!"

"That's what he is, Hayden."

"No, what he _is _is Invisible Bob."

"Oh, see that makes...wait, what?" Paris froze. "No. We met Invisible Bob yesterday. Invisible Bob is not Huntzberger Junior."

"He is," Rory confirmed.

"B-b-but... he's a Huntzberger!"

"I know."

"And...he's at the Yale Daily."

"I know."

"So Doyle will-?"

"I know."

"And so that's why you're-?"

"Yep," Rory nodded solemnly.

"He's Invisible BOB!" Paris exploded. "He can't have editor-in-chief. It's mine! He never even goes."

"He's going to be my boss," Rory said softly. "He doesn't even have what it takes to be a good writer."

"This sucks," Paris collapsed onto the couch. "I hate your grandma."

"Me too, Paris. Me too."

-RL-

"Life sucks, Mom," April greeted as she got into the car. "Grandma's ruining everything for everyone."

"Aw, babe, welcome to the club; Grandma tends to do that."

"No, I mean, _both_ of them. I'm doing this debutante ball thing for them. I want them to know that I care about them, so I'm willing to do this, but," she sighed. "This is too much. The dress, the shoes, the dancing and bowing and smiling. I feel like tearing my face off. Do you know what that feels like?"

"April, honey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. You know that, right?"

"It's too late to back-out now. And besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I'm a Gilmore. And we never back out of anything once we agree to it."

"Like your sister and Logan?"

"Yeah. She can rant all she wants, but she'll go through with it. She can't back out now."

"There's a difference between being honorable and masochistic. You girls know that right?"

April snorted. "Very rarely. And Rory's not being masochistic. Did you _see _Logan? I don't think Rory objects to this as much as she wants us to think."

"Hey, you know Grandma. She has excellent matchmaking skills."

April turned to gape at her mother. "You cannot be serious."

"What?" Lorelai defended. "She does."

"Today sucks. I had four practice AP tests today, soccer practice was killer, I didn't even get to drive home, and now you're defending Grandma."

"Hey, if you agree, there's coffee in it for you," Lorelai bribed.

April grinned. "Deal."

A/N: Loved it, hated it, let me know! Flames accepted!


	3. Judgement Day

A/N: Thank you guys SO much for your reviews and alerts and favorites! I've read/replied to all signed reviews, except those that didn't have the PM feature, so to ncisfan1, Louella, and c17luvsjesus, thank you guys for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it!  
To those that favorited/alerted/but didn't review, please do! I love hearing from you guys.  
The more reviews, the faster I update. I'm hoping for 10 reviews for this chapter before I put Chapter 4 up. Can you guys do that? I hope so!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show. Neither does Amy Sherman-Palladino anymore. If either of us did, Logan and Rory would be married/engaged.

"So what do we do now?" Paris asked finally. "Doyle hands out stories today. We have to go to the Yale Daily News office."

It was noon, and they had been sitting in the living room of their dorm since they'd walked in at ten, after returning from their Classics of Ethics, Politics, and Econ class. Their teacher, Nick Rhodes, had extended the class by half an hour, talking about the effects of Stalinist Russia on the rest of the world, effectively boring them. They'd vented on the way back to the dorm about how pointless the class was to them, and that had somehow resulted in Rory ranting about her upcoming marriage, and how much she hated her grandmother.

"Oh God," Rory groaned, burying her face into a pillow. "I have to see _Logan_."

After their initial conversation about Logan, and the fact that Doyle would more than likely give editor-in-chiefship to him, Paris had gone into denial. Rory had then had to re-explain to Paris about the fact that she was engaged to Logan, who was the Junior Huntzberger, and that Junior Huntzberger was Invisible Bob, which meant, by transitive property, Rory was engaged to Invisible Bob. Paris had freaked out again, this time about all four individually. "Whoa, you're engaged to that hunk? Emily didn't do so bad."; then, "Oh, my God. We have a Huntzberger at Yale!"; then, "Invisible Bob is a _Huntzberger_? He comes from such a great newspaper family and then he can't even bother to show up to the university paper?"; finally, she decided that Rory Huntzberger's marriage would not work out. "You two are complete opposites," she argued. "You love journalism. He doesn't even show up to the paper! How does that even work?"

"Hardly likely," Paris snorted. "He never comes."

"But he will," Rory insisted. "Just to bug me. I know him!"

"You know him?" Paris raised an eyebrow. "You've had all of one conversation with the guy in your life, and now you know him? You didn't even talk to him at dinner last night!"

"Well, he is my fiancé," Rory defended.

"That's a weak argument. You should have better defensive tactics."

"Are you serious, Paris?"

"Besides, your grandmother has good taste in men," Paris added.

"Argh."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Hayden."

"Whatever. Just don't let her hear you say that."

"Okay, Hayden, contrary to popular belief, I do know how to act around your grandmother and other DAR ladies. It is a result of the fact that I was born and brought up in Society. It would be highly unwise for me to go up to your grandmother and say 'you have a great taste in men.' She would then try to matchmake me with someone _my _opposite, say, a lawyer, and then I wouldn't be able to say no. Not to mention my own grandmother would kill me."

"You have social skills?"

"Yes," Paris frowned. "How else do you think I got a boyfriend?"

"Uh, that dinner that your parents threw you? The one that was extremely similar to the one I had last night?"

"Oh that," Paris waved her hand. "I haven't had that dinner yet. I mean, my mom's told me when it is. It has been scheduled, but it hasn't actually happened yet!"

Rory stared in disbelief, "Does Doyle know about this? That you're going to be set up with some Society boy that more than likely you're going to marry?"

"No, I didn't see any reason to tell him. It's not like he's assuming we're going to get married or something. He's not Jewish," Paris said simply. "Why, should I tell him?"

Rory snorted. "God, if you ever do, can I be there? There is not enough money in the world for me to see that."

"There's not enough money in the world, point blank. That's kinda the point of a recession."

"You know, I've always wondered, what the heck is up with that? I mean, it's all virtual money that people have lost, right? Then where does it all go? Why are people so poor?"

"It's called the stock market game, we learned it in about fifth grade."

"You know, I don't get that, either. Why do fifth graders even have that project? It's not likely that _they'll _be investing in the NYSE anytime soon."

"Did you get a bad grade on that project, Hayden?" Paris asked knowingly.

"Yes, but everyone knows that math is not my thing!" Rory defended. "I simply cannot be blamed."

"Of course not. Although I must say, Gilmore, I'm proud. You changed the topic and it took me more than three minutes to realize."

"Drat," Rory snapped her fingers exaggeratedly. "You noticed."

"Of course I did. I have excellent powers of observation. I'm a reporter. It's what I do, I observe."

"Yes, Paris, you are a very good reporter," Rory said unenthusiastically. She knew which road this conversation was headed down, and she really wanted to get out of the car. Paris, though, remained oblivious, and kept talking at 65 mph.

"I know I am! Which is why it boggles my mind as to why _my boyfriend_-"

"-the one you acquired with your own social skills-" Rory deadpanned.

"-will not give me the job of editor-in-chief!" Paris finished heatedly. "It's unfair! I've never hated anyone more than Huntzberger in my life."

"Paris, I'm pretty sure you hated Jess."

"Jess your ex-boyfriend, Jess?" Paris paused. "Huh, I think you're right. But anyways, why don't I get the editor-in-chief job?"

"You don't know that you don't," Rory pointed out.

"Logan _Huntzberger _is at the Yale Daily News, Rory. _Huntzberger. _As in Mitchum _Huntzberger's son. The son of the newspaper king._"

"Ah, darn that prince of newspapers," Rory quipped. "Also, no matter how many times you say the name 'Huntzberger', nothing's going to change."

"Oh, come on, Hayden. How aren't you worried about this blatant display of favoritism?"

"Paris, Doyle giving the job to you would be favoritism. Doyle giving the job to Logan is nepotism."

"Technically it's the same thing, Rory. The words mean the same thing."

"Well, yeah, but either way it's unfair."

"And I suppose giving the job to you would be fair?" Paris retorted.

Rory shrugged modestly. "If he does, he does. If not, it's not that great of a loss."

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Hayden, hold your tongue!"

"Whoa, Paris," Rory backed away, holding her arms up. "Don't hold back there."

"Rory! Being the editor would be a great honor!"

"I'm sure it would be, Paris, but it doesn't really matter to me. I thought you'd be happy I wasn't going to fight you for it."

"But you're my _competition, _Hayden! Without you I'm nothing! Nothing, I tell you, nothing!" Paris grabbed Rory's arms frantically. "You have to do this or I won't get it!"

"Uh, okay, I'm...honored, Paris," Rory said unsurely. "I will apply for editor-in-chief."

"Good."

"Okay."

"I hope one of us gets it, because otherwise..." Paris trailed off, the unsaid 'Logan Huntzberger will screw us over' motivated them to move into action.

"So it's assignment day, let's get moving."

"Must. Get. Best. Story," Paris muttered, moving around the room grabbing her bags and shoes.

"Hey, Paris," Rory said from the door. She was halfway out the door, leaning into the room on the open door. Paris looked up, "Yeah?"

"Race ya." Rory stuck her tongue out and ran.

"Hayden! Get back here," Paris yelled as she ran to the door, bumping into the coffee table. "This is unfair!"

-RL-

"So, Rory, you've got Features Beat, and Paris, you've got to interview the Dean, and Huntzberger," Doyle clapped Logan on the back. "Your article is about nepotism and bribery at Yale. Front page story."

"That seems fitting," Paris muttered to Rory. "It's ironic, isn't it?"

"What?" Rory ignored Paris. "Doyle, you promised _me _I'd have the next front page slot!"

"Yes, well, Rory, that was before Huntz here, decided to actually show up for work."

Having said that, Doyle walked away to his office/cubicle, unaware of the epic events he'd just set into motion.

"Nepotism," Paris whispered heatedly. "It's unfair!"

"Now, now, Paris," Logan spoke up. "No need to come to false assumptions just to make yourself feel better."

"Excuse me, Huntzberger?" Paris turned around and poked her finger into Logan's chest. "I don't have to do or say anything, or come to any false assumptions to make myself feel better about journalism. I _am_ better than you."

"Of course you are," Logan said modestly. "I am sure we'll see that when the next editor in chief is chosen."

"Oh you think you'll one-up me, don't you Huntzberger? But I have worked hard for this. And I will be damned if you get it and I don't."

"Calm down, Paris," Rory said.

"Yeah, Paris, calm down. As far as I'm concerned I didn't say anything wrong. I just said we'll see how much better you are than me when editor-in-chief is around, and I meant it," Logan said nonchalantly. He shrugged, "Hey, if that's how much faith you have in your boyfriend."

"You know, some of us actually work hard for this. Because we like doing it. Writing," Rory clarified. "And we come to the YDN and we do our assignments. Because we like writing. And we want to go somewhere with this someday."

"How do you know I don't?" Logan smirked. "You automatically assume that I don't like writing, or that I don't want to make it my job."

"Well, do you?" Rory asked impatiently. Logan chuckled and nodded his head.

"Maybe," he said lazily. "Maybe not."

"You are infuriating!" Rory stomped her foot. At this, both Logan and Paris raised their eyebrows.

"Did you just stomp your foot, Ace?"

"I thought such childish tantrums were above you, Hayden."

"Shut up, Paris."

Paris rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I have to go talk to go have a word with our editor-in-chief about his biases. And how unprofessional they are," she said.

Rory and Logan watched as she stalked off to find Doyle.

"You know, its unfair how you just come in here, one day, and now your Doyle's favorite person. I mean, why are you even wasting your time."

"Why are you so quick to judge?" Logan shot back.

"I'm not judging, I'm just stating a fact."

"Oh yeah, like what? I'm rich so I don't have a) brains, b) any skills or other interests that I can be good at, c) feelings, or d) all of the above?"

Rory flinched. "That's not what I meant."

"No?" Logan was glaring now. All traces of humor were gone from his face. His eyes, normally filled with mirth, were cold, like endless pools of brown, devoid of emotion. His mouth, normally curled up into a smirk, or grinning widely, was set in a deep frown. It was Logan unlike a Logan she'd seen before. "You're just like everyone else. You're judging me. You and Paris both."

"Paris is just competitive," Rory explained warily. "She doesn't mean anything by it. She's like that with everyone."

"Even you?"

"Even me."

"What about you, then?" His face was still hard and serious. The way he was looking at her made her feel like a child, and suddenly she felt the way she did at dinner last night. Like he was getting under her skin on purpose. Just to get a rise out of her. "You don't like me. You don't know me, but you don't like me."

"I _do _know you. We spent most of yesterday together."

"That doesn't count, Ace. We didn't even talk."

"Well, I'm rich too," she complained. "And it's not fair, because people judge me, too. That I'm a Hayden and a Gilmore, and so I must have only gotten into Yale because of my name. Forget the fact that I was Class Vice in high school, and I went to Chilton, one of the best schools in the _country, _and that I wrote really, _really, _good articles for the school paper."

"So people judge you and you judge me. I see how it is, an endless cycle."

He was smirking again, only it wasn't a classic Logan smirk. It struck her how she'd only met him yesterday, but that she already knew this about him. How easy it was for her to read him. His judging her made her feel stupid, small, and two inches tall.

"No!" she defended. "It's not like that. It's not like that at all, Logan. It's just that yeah, I do feel that I have the right to judge you, okay? Because people think the same thing of me. And so to that extent, I get what you're feeling. And if our similarities didn't end there, then no, I wouldn't judge you. But they do. You claim that you love writing, and that you want to make something out of it? Then why don't you prove yourself? I did. I knew what I wanted to do, and I came and I proved myself. If it wasn't for you, I would have had that front page article, and you know it. I'd been waiting a _long _time for that article, but hey! Doyle only gave it to you because he's hoping that someday, you may just return that favor. Some of us, unlike you, Huntzberger, actually need to work hard to make sure we get a good job someday. Journalism's not a joke. Not all of us are just going to inherit Daddy's crown when we graduate."

"Really? Ace, really? You think so little of me, your future husband?" His smirk was back now, so Rory relaxed. Somehow, she knew that getting him to joke, be playful, would be better. She didn't know him at his lightest, so she definitely didn't want to have a heart-to-heart with him at his darkest. "You forget that you aren't in the same boat as Doyle. You're in the same boat as me. You want a job in journalism? You'll get it, no problem. You have no right to judge me."

"Of course I do, Huntzberger," she started walking around. Logan, she knew, would hate that she'd get the last word in. She had to win. "I'm better than you."

"Oh yeah? Ace? That's why you're walking away?"

"You don't have what it takes, Logan. Don't worry."

"Ace." The one word made her stop and turn around.

"Yes?" she raised her eyebrow, fully aware that by now, the whole newsroom was watching. Paris was even taking notes.

"Let's bet on it."

"Bet," she asked incredulously. "You want to bet on what? The fact that I'm better than you?"

"No," he shook his head. "I want to bet on the fact that _I'm _better than _you._"

This time she smirked. "Okay, then."

"Great." He walked over to her, and pulled her into his arms. "Let's seal it with a kiss."

He kissed her, and she froze. He pulled back and smirked. "Let the best...reporter...win." And then he was gone.

-RL-

"He kissed you?"

"He did," Rory said blankly. "He just...walked over, and pulled me into his arms, and _kissed _me! Who does that?"

"Logan Huntzberger," April replied dryly. "You know, it's funny 'cause like five seconds ago Mom bribed me with coffee if I agreed to the fact that Grandma was a good matchmaker."

"Grandma is not a good matchmaker!"

April winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. "You know, Ror, I'm on the phone with you, I'm not in China. You don't have to yell!"

"Oh, sorry," Rory said. "But Grandma is not a good matchmaker."

"He kissed you," April pointed out.

"Yeah, well, Serena kissed Dan but she loves Nate."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Gossip Girl."

"Since when do you watch Gossip Girl?" April asked incredulously.

"Since Paris broke up with Doyle and decided she needed better social skills to get a better boyfriend."

"So she decided _Gossip Girl _was the best place to learn?"

"Well," Rory shrugged. "It's not like they have any problems finding significant others."

"Rory, _they _are beautiful people who are part of a scripted TV show. Trust me, they have problems, too."

"Hey, squirt," Paris grabbed the phone from Rory. "Are you saying I'm not beautiful?"

"No," April backtracked. "I'm saying you don't have make-up caked on your face, and you are not inebriated for more than half the day, so you may have issues living your life the way they do."

"Please," Paris scoffed. "Blair Waldorf and I have much in common."

"Yeah, you're rich and you have ex-boyfriends at Ivy League schools, now can you please give my sister back the phone?"

"Whatever."

"Okay," Rory said. "Maybe you shouldn't bag on the show too much. I mean, Chace Crawford is pretty good-looking."

"That he is," April agreed. "But then so is another rich, blond, Ivy League-student who kissed you today."

"Oh we're back to that?"

"We're back to that."

"Who are you talking to April?" Lorelai asked as she got into the car, holding a four-cup holder of Starbucks drinks. "Oh, I got you a venti Cinnamon Dolce Frappucino and a Grande Dark Cherry Mocha because you said to get your favorite, but you have two so I didn't know which one to get so I got both. Feel free to switch with mine if you want."

"What did you get?" April asked her mom.

"Cafe Latte and Cafe Mocha. Who are you talking to?"

"Rory."

"Oh you're still talking to me? You didn't forget I was still here, on the phone?"

"Nope," April replied cheerfully. "Still here."

"Put her on speaker," Lorelai said, as she drove out of the parking lot. "I want to talk to my baby too."

"Yeah, April, put me on speaker."

"Okay," April said as she put the phone on speaker. "You too."

"What?" Rory said. "Then Paris will interrupt."

"I will not," Paris' voice came from the phone. April assumed Rory had put her on speaker.

"So, fruit of my loins," Lorelai said. "How was your day?"

"Logan kissed her," Paris stated matter-of-factly.

"What?" Lorelai cried. "When was this."

"In the newsroom, after Rory explained why she was judging him." April answered.

"Okay, Rory, honey, tell mommy everything!"

So Rory explained how Doyle was being unfair and how Logan and Paris almost argued and how she intercepted, and then Paris cut in about how Rory and Logan actually _did _argue, and how Rory just assumed that Logan was lazy, and how that ended in the bet and Logan kissing her.

"Yeah, well, Paris took notes!" Rory defended.

"Wait, what?" Lorelai paused. "Paris, why'd you do that?"

"I broke up with Doyle, and my social skills suck, so I needed an example to learn from so I can get a better boyfriend," she said.

"Oh. Well, that could work, I guess."

"Plus, it was like foreplay. I figured Rory'd need proof that she was flirting with him."

"I was not flirting with him!" Rory denied. "It was an argument."

"Please," Paris snorted. "There were sparks."

"Alright, phone goes off speaker now. Shoo," she waved Paris away.

"Okay, sweets. Forgive me for being surprised, but at dinner last night, you argued with him, found out you were engaged, fled the room, and then you didn't speak a word to him for the rest of the night."

"Don't forget, before that, she argued with him at the newspaper office," April pointed out.

"Ah, love-hate relationships. I miss those," Lorelai said nostalgically.

"No, this is just a hate relationship. I don't _love him_. I barely even know the guy!"

"Well, you know him well enough to judge him, and then hate based on that judgement."

"Mom," Rory said to Lorelai. "Why is my sixteen-year-old sister smarter than me?"

"I'm not smarter than you, Rory. I'm just emotionally unattached to this whole debacle."

"Ah, right."

"So, I'm taking it off speaker now," April announced.

"And I'm hanging up so it doesn't really matter. Bye Mom, bye April. Love you guys."

"Love you, too, sweets."

"Love you, sis. See you Friday."

"Wait," Rory cried in horror. "Didn't we have a weekly dinner already?"

"We did!" Lorelai said happily. "But in lieu of your upcoming nuptials, we'll be having bi-weekly dinners. Friday and Tuesday. Tuesday at the Gilmores, Friday at the Huntzbergers."

"No."

"Yes."

"That's unfair."

"It really is."

"Okay. Well, Grandma's calling me, I really have to go now."

"Bye sweets."

"Bye." Rory hung up.

Lorelai turned to April. "So your sister will invariably get her happily ever after. What about you? Are you ready to meet Grandma's guy for you?"

"No."

"But Rory and Logan-"

"No."

"But your dad and me-"

"No."

"Oh, come on, April. You have to go to dinner tonight," Lorelai said firmly. "Meet this guy, and see how you like him, and then if you don't then you can go out and find your own guy."

"That's the whole reason I'm going in the first place," April whined.

"Tough luck, babe."

-RL-

"Logan, she had a point," Honor said. "I mean, you just get lazy and you don't go to the paper and well, she just has a point!"

"Honor, leave the boy alone," Josh stepped in. "He just found out he's getting married to some chick and then he finds out he's already met her and they've already started out on the wrong foot."

"And then we continued on that foot," Logan spoke up. "She doesn't like me."

"Gee, I wonder why," Honor said dryly. Logan stepped toward her, frowning. "I mean, little brother, come on. Be a little open to how she's feeling."

"And what about how I'm feeling? My fiancé just undermined my abilities as a writer."

"You _have _no abilities as a writer."

"Honor," Josh warned.

"It's true!" she protested. "I mean, he's good in some of his articles, when he bothers to _write _articles, that is. He can do so much better but he doesn't, and then when this girl, Rory, who actually _has _writing abilities to fall back on, by the way, points it out to him, he pouts and whines and wallows?"

"I see. So you take her side."

"There are no sides, Logan. Even I can see that. Your playing a game with this girl. More than likely he thought this arguing session was a challenge, Honor," Josh said.

"It was. The way she said those things...it was infuriating! I had to make sure I got the last word in."

"Did you?" Honor asked warily.

"Yeah," he smirked.

"I'm going to ask against my better judgement, but what did you say?" Josh asked hesitantly.

"I bet her I was a better writer than she was."

"What?" Honor and Josh cried together.

"Yeah, and then-"

"Oh, so the bet wasn't enough?" Honor muttered sarcastically.

"-I kissed her," Logan finished. "And walked out the door."

Josh turned to Honor. "Your little brother's going to hell."

"Don't I know it, oh husband-mine. Don't I know it."

A/N: So what did you think? Was it funny, insightful, suckish? Or none of the above? Either way, let me know by dropping me a review. The button's right there!

This is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. I wanted to make up for how short and just plain _filler _chapter 2 was. I hope this does the trick.

Also, if anyone watches Gossip Girl, can you please PM me an explanation of what the hell happened in the finale because I only saw a few clips on YouTube and god it's not making any sense.

THANKS!


	4. Tripolar

A/N: Thank you guys SO much for all the support! 51 alerts, 21 favorites, and 33 reviews, and it's only been three chapters. I never actually thought you guys would like the story so much, but I'm really glad you do.

Sorry for the wait, it's been six days, which is almost a week. I never meant to take so long, but in between I had a bit of writer's block and my friend had her sweet sixteen and I was out all day and spent the next two recovering. My wonderful beta, EmiJa, gave me an idea and I wrote like another 1500 words, effectively ending my writer's block. If you take away this supremely long author's note, the chapter is like 4200 words.

Review REPLIES:

Brianna Lynette. Thank you so much for telling me you would have put my story on alert if you were logged in. Hope you remember your password soon! Lol. You did make my day.

t: all the "whoa, don't hold back there" lines in this story are gonna be because of you. That was my first reaction to reading your review. I was laughing btw, I loved your enthusiasm.

And, lastly, to rajmachawal, you're a freak but I love you anyways. I was supposed to post this on your birthday, but...I didn't get home 'til 11 (because of you) so there went that plan.

Sorry for the long Author's note.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

"So what are we going to do today?" Paris asked Rory. "It's a brand new day, the sun is shining, and the sky is blue and all that other stuff happy people who are in la-la land say."

It was Wednesday morning, 10 o'clock, and they had both gotten out of their respective Chemistry courses. Neither of them had any classes until 1, when Rory had her Economics class.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I need some coffee."

"Of course you do, Gilmore, you're addicted. One of these days I'm going to have to put you in rehab."

"Well, I'm not Amy Winehouse, so you can forget about it."

"Oh, who's Amy Winehouse?" Paris asked eagerly. "Do you think she'd be a good role model for me?"

Rory paused and tried to picture it in her head. An emo version of Paris, with excessive black eyeliner, dark tattoos covering her skin, and jet black hair. She shook her head. "Black's not your color," she said firmly.

"What are you talking about Ace?" Logan's voice came out of nowhere. "Paris'd make a great Amy Winehouse." Rory looked down, trying to hide her smile by keeping her eyes trained on the cracks in front of her.

"You know what, Gilmore," Paris said, sneering at Logan. "I think you're right. Black's not my color."

"Aw, Paris come on," Logan teased. "You don't trust me?"

"I trust you about as far as I could throw you Huntzberger," she eyed him up and down. "And I don't think _that'd_ be very far."

She turned to Rory. "I'll see you later, Gilmore. I'd stay, but I don't like the company anymore." Paris glared at Logan.

Logan watched Paris walked away, then turned to Rory. "She doesn't like me very much, does she?"

"You haven't given her much reason to," Rory said as they started walking towards the coffee cart.

"That doesn't mean she can't trust me."

"It does with Paris. I mean, either she's calling you fat or she's calling herself weak."

"Does Paris normally insult herself in front of people she doesn't like and/or trust?" Logan asked.

"No."

"Which means I'm fat," he stated.

"She must think so."

"More importantly, do you?" he turned to Rory, smirking. "I mean, your opinion matters the most, right? What with you being my future wife and all."

"Can you stop alluding to that, please?"

"I'm not _alluding_ to anything, Ace."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "I'm outright saying it." 

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest while he stood next to her smirking. By now, they'd reached the coffee cart. "One large cup of black coffee," she ordered.

"Whoa, Ace. That's...intense."

"Shut up, Logan."

"You mean 'Master and Commander'?"

"No, I mean _Logan._"

"Of course you do. But still. You drink coffee like I drink alcohol."

"You disgust me."

"Why? It's practically the same thing."

"No, it's not," Rory glared up at him. "Coffee's not harmful to my health."

"I don't know what news you read, Ace, but coffee is just as bad as alcohol."

"Unlike you, I don't read The Onion to bring myself up-to-date on the goings-on of the world."

"Coffee is bad for your heart," Logan said confidently, ignoring her previous statement.

"Alcohol is bad for your liver."

"Coffee is bad for your stomach."

"Make that liver _and _kidneys."

"Coffee can cause ulcers."

"Alcohol kills brain cells."

"Starbucks is expensive."

"People end up on the wrong side of the freeway when drunk."

"Ace," Logan stopped. "What are we fighting about?"

"Nothing," Rory said firmly. "You were just coming to apologize to me."

"Apologize," Logan laughed incredulously. "Okay, what are am I apologizing for?"

Rory turned to look at him, disbelief etched on her face. "Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I wasn't planning on apologizing, but you clearly want me to, so I will. And if I'm going to apologize, I might as well do it for...whatever it is you want me to apologize for," he dramatically gestured into the air. "It might as well mean something, right?"

"Oh, my God. Logan-"

"Master and Commander," he corrected.

"-alright fine, _Master and Commander_," she mocked. "Your stupid apology isn't going to mean anything anyway because it doesn't come from the heart."

"_Come from the heart_?" Now it's his turn to mock. "Rory, what does that even mean? I'm apologizing to you, granted I don't know for what exactly, just accept it and move on."

"Okay," she relented. "Thank you for apologizing for kissing me."

Logan looked confused. "_That's _what you wanted me to apologize for?"

"_Yes_. What did you think?"

"Ace," Logan said. "I thought you wanted me to apologize for making the bet. I mean, I've never actually met a girl that didn't want me to kiss her."

"One, the bet isn't actually real," Rory explained slowly. "We just said it in the heat of the moment. And two, you are really way too cocky for your own good."

"Of course the bet's real!" Logan protested. "We even sealed it with a kiss!"

"Which would mean something if we were in high school. It wasn't a real kiss, because I didn't _kiss you back._"

Again, Logan ignored the second part of her sentence. "You know, earlier I thought Paris was acting like Blair Waldorf, but now I think it's you."

"What?" Rory looked hurt. "I am nothing like Blair Waldorf! She couldn't even get into Yale!"

"Yep," Logan pretended to think. "Same attitude and everything."

"Fine, we can play that game. If you fancy yourself a Nate Archibald, just remember Blair ends up with Chuck."

"Who?"

Rory laughed. "Never mind. Look, the bet's not real, okay? Let's just leave it at that."

"Excuse me," someone tapped Logan's shoulder. "You're holding up the line. Your girlfriend's coffee is ready."

Rory looked up and found that the guy behind them was right. Ricky, the coffee cart guy, had been looking at the pair uncomfortably for the past five minutes, unable to tell them to take the coffee and leave. "Oh I'm really sorry, _my boyfriend_," Rory glowered, "is being incredibly _stupid._" She hadn't even realized that there were people in line behind them, since she was too busy arguing with Logan. Grabbing the coffee, she turned on her heel and started to pull Logan away by his jacket sleeve. He resisted, instead pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, and gave Ricky a five. "Keep the change," he told Ricky. "You forgot to pay," he added to Rory, somewhat smugly.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can we go now?"

"Lead the way," he said, and then turned around to yell over his shoulder. "And she's not my girlfriend. She's my _fiancee_."

Rory shook her head, smiling softly, and kept walking. "Come on!"

Neither of them noticed the large amount of students who immediately pulled out their phones and started texting furiously.

"And Ace?" Logan said as they approached a crowded hallway.

"Yes, oh Master and Commander?" Rory asked sarcastically, walking forward.

"The bet's still on," Logan said. Rory stopped and turned around to look at him. "And I'm going to win. We'll discuss the terms at dinner Friday night." And then he turned right and disappeared into the crowd of students making their way into the courtyard, while Rory watched speechless.

"Amazing," she muttered to herself, rubbing her head with her free hand. "Didn't even kiss me, and he _still _manages to get the last word in. It's on, Huntzberger. Oh, it is _so_ on."

-RL-

"Doth mine ears deceive me," Finn barged into Logan's dorm room without greeting. "Oh, hello Lanny boy." Lanny waved, by now jaded by Finn's antics.

"Oh brother, where art thou," Finn continued.

Lanny pointed to Logan's closed door. "He's in there. He's asleep."

"Asleep eh? I'll show him asleep!" Finn said dramatically, walking towards Logan's door.

"Finn! No, wait!" Colin rushed in, panting heavily. "Don't go in without me."

"Colin, I'm not going to wait here for the next ten days while you catch your breath."

Colin straightened up. "Very funny, Finn. I'm good to go. Let us attack together."

"I concur, Athos. When we go in, I'll start with 'Doth mine ears deceive me', and then you say something equally Shakespearean-"

"Finn, I'm not going to talk like Shakespeare. I hate Shakespeare."

"How can you hate Shakespeare?" Finn gasped. "You are _dead _to me."

"You've known since the eighth grade how much I've hated Shakespeare," Colin said flatly.

"Oh," Finn dismissed. "I have, haven't I? Anyways, on to the third musketeer!" He raised his hand toward Logan's bedroom door, as if holding a sword, and marched. "Onwards ho!"

"Finn?" Logan opened the door sleepily. "What are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "The sun is up, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Colin snickered. "He should be, instead he's up speaking old English while trying to kill you."

"What?" Logan looked alarmed. "Why?"

"Doth mine ears deceive me?" Finn asked for the third time. "I've been hearing all over campus how _you _and a certain _Rory Hayden _are _engaged._"

"Ohhhhh," Logan said, now fully awake. "About that..."

"Please tell me it's a misunderstanding, and that some other gossiping bimbo has decided to ruin your life," Finn begged. Logan looked at him awkwardly.

"Finn..." he began.

"Come on, Huntz," Colin said incredulously. "You're _engaged?_"

"You didn't even tell us! I'm hurt, Logan. Aren't you hurt, Colin? Because I'm hurt," Finn said sadly.

"I'm definitely hurt, Finn," Colin agreed.

A few beats of silence, and then the main door slammed shut. Finn looked around, and realizing that Lanny had gone outside to avoid the awkward confrontation going on, settled his gaze on Logan. "So...anything you want to tell us, Huntz?"

"Colin, Finn, my men. Best friends for life," Logan started nervously, hunching his shoulders, clapping his hands together, and giving them an awkward smile. "Boy, have I got a story for you."

-RL-

"Your sister called last night," Paris told Rory when she entered the dorm.

"She did?" Rory asked. "Why didn't I know?"

"You were studying, Gilmore. Your phone was on silent."

"Oh, okay," Rory said. "Wait, how did you know?"

"Because you left your phone here this morning. And I couldn't find my phone so I had to use yours to make a call."

"Oh," Rory said, digging through her purse. "I've got your phone. Here." She threw a black phone at Paris. "All yours."

"You stole my phone!" Paris cried. "How could you?"

Rory stared at her. "Paris, if I wanted to steal your phone, would I have given it back to you?" Paris shook her head. "Exactly. Look, I'm sorry I took it, but this morning I thought it was mine, and I didn't discover it wasn't until after I left Logan. Now, please delete your mother's contact info from _my_ phone, and _tell me_ that you used *67 because I _don't _want a Mrs. Sylvia Gellar calling me _every_time she can't reach you," Rory said desperately.

"My mother would not do that," Paris denied.

"She did in Chillton," Rory pointed out.

"That was different. I was young, naive, and oh my God, my mother still doesn't trust me," Paris realized. "Why doesn't she trust me?"

"I don't know," Rory said, picking up her phone from the coffee table. "I'm going to call April back. She's probably already mad that I haven't called back yet."

"You do that," Paris said absently as Rory dialed. "I need to go find a shrink for myself."

"It's about time," Rory muttered under her breath.

"Hello?" Gigi answered the phone.

"Hey G!" Rory exclaimed. "How is my baby sister today."

"Rory!" Gigi said happily. "I miss you!"

"You saw me two days ago at dinner, G," Rory said, amused.

"I know, but I still miss you. Mommy and Daddy keep talking about you and Will is excited about Hoagie and April was acting weird last night," Gigi said matter-of-fact. "I feel kinda lost, Ro."

"Weird?" Rory asked, referring to April. She knew her parents would be discussing herself and Logan, and Will was obviously happy with the way her love life, or lack thereof, was turning out. Amazing. Her three-year-old brother was happier with her upcoming wedding, what should have been the happiest day of _her _life, than she was. What Gigi was saying about April, though, that didn't make any sense. "How was April weird."

"Well, she was happy and then mad and then I don't know she just kept saying stuff about Jamie. It was weird," Gigi added. "She was like, like, tri-polar!"

"Tri-polar?" Rory laughed. "You mean _bi-_polar, G?"

"Yeah! That. Hehe," Gigi giggled. "I learnt a new word today."

"I know, I'm so proud. But G, as much as I love talking to my six-year-old sister, I was kinda looking for my _sixteen_-year-old sister. Is April there?" Rory wondered why April would be talking about Paris' ex-boyfriend. It wasn't as if April or Rory knew any other Jamies.

"No, but I can tell her you called."

"Thank you, G."

"Welcome, Ro. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye, G. See you Friday."

"Friday," Gigi agreed happily, and then she hung up. It saddened Rory to think that her younger siblings thought she only talked to them when she needed to reach April. The last time she had honestly talked to Will the way she had talked to April was...well, she couldn't even remember. To be fair, though, Will was a three-year-old boy, so she couldn't exactly talk to him, or Gigi for that matter, about her love life or college experiences. Then again, she could always offer to babysit for them so her parents could have a night out. Maybe if she and April did it together, it could result in some much overdo sibling bonding time. She made a mental note to ask her mother if her parents needed a day off. If she was lucky, her parents would go away for the weekend, and she'd be able to get out of at least one bi-weekly dinner with Logan and both their families. Which brought her back to her original point: she only talked to her baby siblings when she needed something.

She was a selfish, selfish child, and she needed to fix it. Fast. Staring at her phone, she muttered, "I miss you, too, G. So much you don't even know."

-RL-

"What gave your parents the right to do this?" Chris asked angrily. "What gave _my _parents the right to do this?"

"I don't know," Lorelai answered helplessly. "I mean, come on. Rory is a smart, sensible child. She doesn't need someone to _choose _a spouse for her."

"And even if she _did, _then _Logan Huntzberger _is _not _the guy for her!"

"You don't even know him, Chris," Lorelai said. "And you don't know my mother. She has excellent matchmaking skills."

"Lorelai, this isn't about your mother's matchmaking skills. This is about Logan's reputation," Chris explained heatedly. "That boy is a..a...a manwhore!"

"Whoa, Chris. You don't know that! Besides, he seems like a nice guy."

"But he's not," Chris stopped pacing the living room and turned to Lorelai, who was sitting on the couch. They had been avoided talking about Tuesday night's dinner until Lorelai was absolutely sure that Chris had calmed down a bit. They had a fairly large amount of expensive items spread throughout their home, and Lorelai wanted to make sure it'd stay that way. Not that Chris had thrown anything before, Lorelai just had a flair for drama.

"Chris, don't you think you're overreacting?" Lorelai asked. "I mean, he was perfectly courteous at dinner the other night, and my parents love him, and Rory knows him because he goes to Yale, and apparently he's on the Daily News."

"Lorelai, that doesn't mean anything! The boy was raised in Society, he knows how to put on a Society mask. If I can do it, he sure as hell can, and you know that. He reminds me too much of myself at that age, and I don't want him _touching _my daughter, because honestly, me at that age scares me at _this _age. I don't know how your father put up with us."

"Well," Lorelai held in her laugh. "You're going to have to learn how. Because they've already kissed."

"What?" Chris cried. "They've known each other all of one day! That's...that's...I have to kill him!" he sputtered. "He's corrupting my daughter."

"Chris, stop," Lorelai commanded, getting up and walking to her husband. She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders, in an effort to calm him. He responded by automatically winding his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "Rory is a grown woman, and I trust her. Okay? She's not going to do anything irresponsible with Logan, _manwhore _or no. Besides, you seem to have forgotten that they aren't engaged yet. You never know, they're smart kids. They could find a way out. Apparently they already have quite the love/hate relationship. They could end up hating each other, permanently."

"Yeah, or they could fall in love and choose not to back out of this," Chris said softly, anger still evident in his eyes.

"Hey," Lorelai said cheerily. "Either way, if she's happy, you're happy."

"She's my baby, Lorelai. My first-born. She's the reason you ran away from home, and she's the reason I spent three years worth of college weekends looking for you instead of partying." At her incredulous look, he added, "And studying." Lorelai nodded, satisfied. "She's also the reason that being with you, every day of my life is worth even more than it would have been otherwise. You're the mother of my children, Lorelai. And she's the first person that's a part of you _and _me. I don't love her any more than our other children, Lor, but I do love her differently. If Logan hurts her, I'll break him."

She couldn't speak. Chris had rendered her speechless, a big feat in and of itself. It was common knowledge that none of the Gilmore girls, Emily and Trix included, could ever be silenced by anyone other than each other or their men. When she was younger, Lorelai hadn't believed in that, but after her brief relationship with Luke, she knew it was true. In the year before Chris had found her, she had lived in Stars Hollow and had dated Luke. He had put up with her constant babbling and rambling, and her endless commentary of random topics, sure, but he'd never once been able to render her speechless. It struck her now, that the same applied for Rory. While she'd had more experience than her mother in the boy department (she'd dated _three _boys of her own free will rather than Lorelai's two), she'd had the same problem. Neither Jess, Dean, nor Tristan had ever been able to say anything that had ever made Rory not want to talk. Jess had found her incessant talking annoying to a certain extent; Dean didn't really know how to banter with her, so he just let her talk; and Tristan and Rory were arguing more often than not.

On the other hand, after talking to Rory yesterday, and reading the angry text she had sent today ('he silenced me, _again!,_ and he didn't even have to kiss me. -_-'), Lorelai realized that maybe, just maybe, her daughter had found her match in Logan. Laughing softly, she looked up at Chris. "Guess what?"

"What?" he asked, in the same soft tone as her.

"I think our daughter's going to fall in love soon," she said. Then, seeing his face fall, she added, "And I think, that after hearing speeches like that from you, you may just be the sweetest man alive. And I love you, Christopher Hayden. Don't ever forget that."

"How do you know, Lorelai?" he asked desperately. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"Because, Chris. He's already rendered her speechless."

And really, even Christopher Hayden couldn't argue with that logic.

-RL-

"I still can't believe it, Logan," Finn said. "You're getting married."

Colin and Finn had barged into Logan's room three hours earlier, and even though Logan had explained everything to them, from the first newspaper encounter with Rory to the meeting that had taken place at 10:30 this morning in the courtyard, they had made like statues and sat frozen on his couch, disbelieving of the fact that Logan Huntzberger was settling down. Against his will. And for the most part, was completely okay with it.

"I am, Finn," Logan agreed smiling. "I am."

"Why are you _smiling?_" Colin asked. "You don't have much to be happy about right now, Huntz."

"'Course I do, Colin," Logan said, clapping him on the back. "Did you forget the bet?"

"What bet?" Finn asked, looking blankly at the two of them.

Colin widened his eyes. "No. No no no no, Huntz. That bet is null and void."

"And why, pray tell," Logan mimicked Finn. "Is that so?"

"Because, it is against your will," Colin said.

"Oh no, no, no see, I am _very _willing to marry Ms. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden III," Logan said, standing up straight, imitating the Master of Ceremonies at the DAR Debutante Ball.

"What bet is this?" Finn asked eagerly.

"Well, when Logan and I first fell into our...womanizing ways, we made a bet. He said that he'd be the first to marry _willingly_, and I said that, no, it would be _me._"

"Good God, Logan, you're going to hell," Finn stated.

Logan rolled his eyes. "And why is that, Finn?"

"You're going to mess around with this girl's head. She's going to hate you."

Logan smirked. "On the contrary, Finn. I'm going to make her fall in love with me."

"Which is exactly why she's going to hate you," Colin cut in. "Because you're going to purposely make her fall in love with you, and you're not going to reciprocate."

"What are you talking about, Colin?" Logan looked at Colin oddly. If he was going to marry Rory, he was definitely going to fall in love with her. He didn't want to become his father, who was stuck in a loveless marriage because that's what you did in Society. Besides, Rory seemed like a lot of fun, and he definitely felt attracted to her. Of course, his bet with her didn't help his odds, but he liked to get under her skin. It made life amusing for him.

"No," Colin groaned. "Please be joking. You can't honestly expect to fall in love with her, too. You can't be expecting ... whatever the _hell _it is you're expecting?"

"Well why not?" Logan asked. "Is it really too much to ask that a girl can honestly fall in love with me? Honestly, truly in love with me?" His eyes wide, Logan actually looked serious, an expression that Finn and Colin saw on him very rarely.

They looked at each other and said in unison, "YES."

-RL-

Rory sighed. It had been a long day (week?), and she was tired. She had finished her Features article and turned it into the Yale Daily News office early, hoping to garner some praise from Doyle, but he was, apparently, still smarting from his recent break-up with Paris. She had thought that they'd have been professional enough to keep their private lives away from the newsroom, and then she had realized that to think that would be, well, stupid. For all intents and purposes, Paris was just a twenty-one year old junior in college who had just broken up with her boyfriend. A boyfriend who was still very much in love with her and wanted to exact revenge on her the only way he knew how: assigning boring articles that no one would read. On a subconscious level, both Rory and Paris understood that this was Doyle's way of trying to get Paris to come back into the newsroom so he could woo her back. He knew her weaknesses, and he would sure as hell use them.

But Paris didn't succumb.

To her credit, Paris had managed to make all deadlines through Rory, who was more than happy to do the job if it meant she wouldn't ever,_ ever, _have to see Doyle walk out of Paris' room in her bathrobe. I mean, come on. A girl's gotta draw the line _somewhere_.

A beeping from her phone drew her out of her thoughts.

'You know you're old when your three-year-old son has more of a social life than you do. Alone at home. Keep me company?' her dad had texted.

It was seven-thirty, so if she left now, she'd be in Hartford by eight-thirty max. Her first class tomorrow wasn't until 11, so if she woke up by eight and left by nine, she'd be okay. Besides, the news was starting to sink in already, and she was sure that within the next hour she'd be crying about why her grandmother had to ruin her life. Best to do it home, right? Right.

Without a second thought, she went into her room, packed an overnight bag, and wrote Paris a note. Within ten minutes, she was in her car, already on her way to Hartford.

A/N: I am planning on making this a series. One story for each of the kids, maybe one with the Lorelai/Chris/Luke thing that is mentioned very, very briefly in this chapter. Let me know what you think about that.

This story will get just a teeny bit more serious (seeing as how it IS about a life-changing event: marriage). Who spotted the brief but important thing that Lorelai said this chapter (and was mentioned in Chapter 1) that Rory and Logan haven't picked up on? PM me, because if you put it in a review, everyone will see.

Also, who watched JONAS LA? I just started watching it (haven't had the time) and I'm extremely disappointed at Macy's personality transplant. I do like Nick/Macy 2.0, but I think Nick/Macy 1.0 would have been just as great to watch. Who agrees?


	5. Talking

A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to write and upload. It's not that great, either, so I apologize. School's starting in two weeks, and I started my AP assignments, and I'm swamped. I'm so so SO sorry. Next chapter will be better, I promise.

And I was kinda disappointed at the amount of reviews for the last chapter. If you guys didn't like a chapter, or think that something could be better, PLEASE let me know that. Honestly, I want to know. I'm not going to get mad and block you, I promise.

This chapter was SUPPOSED to be emotional, but then some stuff happened with ME, and that made my emotions all out of whack, so I was not in a good place emotionally/mentally to write the chapter the way it should have been written. Logan and Rory WILL have the all-important talk about...everything SOON; it just won't be right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Chris opened the door before she knocked, and Rory stumbled into her father's arms, crying.

"It finally sunk in," she sobbed. It didn't matter that they were on the porch, and any one of their elitist neighbors could look out a window or come out to the porch and speculate as to what was going on. She was finally home, with her father, and for the first time that week, she didn't feel lost.

"Oh, Ro," he soothed, rubbing her back. "It'll be okay, come on." Chris led her inside, and held his hand up to Summer, the maid, who was lingering in the foyer waiting to take Rory's coat.

"I'll just...get her some coffee, then?" Summer asked, looking sympathetically at Rory.

"Yes please," Rory mumbled from her father's shirt. She had clung to him in a manner more expected of Will, but at this point, Chris didn't care. All he wanted was for his daughter to be okay.

Summer nodded and walked away towards the kitchen. Rory looked up at her father, removed her hands from around his waist, and dried her cheeks. The look in her eyes told Chris that she wasn't joking when she said it had 'sunk in'.

"Is Mom home?" Rory asked him. "I mean, its okay if she's not, I'm perfectly happy talking to just you, but if she was..."

"She's not," Chris told her. "Sorry, kid. She's at the Dragonfly. They had a full house tonight, and she needs to be there to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Oh," Rory's face fell.

"Yeah. Rory, I really did mean it when I said I was alone at home. Gigi and Will are with my parents, and April is," his jaw clenched. "On a date. She won't be home 'til 10:30. That's her curfew."

"Hey, Dad," Rory said softly, sniffling, walking toward the family room. "You telling me her curfew is more for your reassurance than my knowledge, we both know that. And I know nothing about this guy, so I can't help you. I haven't talked to her since...yesterday. Hey! I talked to her yesterday. Why didn't she tell me about this?"

Chris laughed at the slightly outraged tone of his eldest daughter's voice. "Well, she met him yesterday. Don't know the whole story yet."

"Oh," Rory said, mollified. "Yeah, she called last night but my phone was on silent, and Paris and I were studying. Then, this morning, I left my phone at home and took Paris', so I didn't check the voicemail until after I got back from class."

"I see."

A few beats of silence, and then:

"So do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" Rory laughed bitterly. "My marriage? My grandparents? Logan Huntzberger? Oh, my God," she buried her head in her hands. "This is all just so screwed up, Dad. What gave Grandma the right to do this? What gave _any of them _the right to do this? I've been the perfect child my whole life. I went to Chilton; I got into every single Ivy that I applied to. I go to _Yale._ I have never caused any scandals, and everybody loves me! I had a coming out party. I was a debutante, for God's sake; I did everything by the book. I have never, ever given them a reason to not trust me, and they just...don't trust me."

"They do trust you, Rory. This is about...something else, and I don't know what it is. Maybe if I did I could have-"

"What, Dad? You could have what? You couldn't have, even if you knew. We both know that. Emily Gilmore wants her granddaughter to marry a Huntzberger, and so Rory Hayden will abide by her wishes. I am so sick of being a _puppet_!" Rory yelled. "I have my own mind. I have wishes and wants and dreams, too. I didn't ask for this, Society, money, status, I don't want it. I want my life back. Elitist as Grandma may be, she can't honestly believe that whatever she and Grandpa are getting out of this is worth more than my happiness?"

"Rory, hold your tongue. Don't say anything you're going to regret. You know your grandparents love you, and there must have been a reason for this. Richard, Emily, and my mother would never do something that would hurt you. They love you, Rory. I highly doubt they're doing this for their own benefit. Monetary gain is nothing compared to you happiness for them."

"Then why did they do this? I can't believe you're defending them!" Rory cried.

"I'm not, Ro. I'm not. Calm down, Rory. Come here." Chris walked over to his daughter, and wrapped his arms around her. She automatically leaned into him. "Your grandparents have...ideas. Sometimes, I don't think they realize that times are changing. They know what a wonderful person you are, Rory, and they know that you are more than capable of living your own life. You and I both know that you don't want the money and the status and the Society lifestyle. But no matter where you go, it's a part of you. That's why it didn't work out with Jess or Dean. You aren't a snob, Ro, but you are used to a certain way of living. Your whole life, your mother and I have given you've wanted or needed. Somehow, you've managed to stay grounded. All of you have, and I am so incredibly proud of that. Emily and Richard trust you and April more than they trust your mother and me, so this...marriage that they've set up is not about ruining your life."

"So, what, they think this is going to make it better?" Rory scoffed.

"Maybe."

"I was fine. Two days ago, yesterday, this morning, even. I was driving here, thinking it would be another father-daughter night, and then it hit me. In a few months, whenever the wedding is, you won't be the most important man in my life anymore. Logan will be. Logan Huntzberger, someone I hadn't even spoken to before Tuesday. It's like I have no choice in this major life-changing decision. I want to be a journalist, on my own merit. How will I know if that's why I get the job? All I have to do is tell my father-in-law, and I can be some big-shot at the New York Times. I'm not that person. I'm against nepotism and using my name and money to get what I want."

"Well, there are always pseudonyms," Chris joked. Rory turned to glare at him. "Right," he continued seriously. "Look, kid, you got into Yale on your own merit, right? You figured out a way then, you can do it now. Worst comes to worst, you can get a job outside of HPG. Okay?"

"Okay."

"And you should probably talk to Logan, too. He seems like a," Chris hesitated. "Nice guy."

She nodded, and then started looking around. "Where's Summer?" she asked. "Shouldn't the coffee be ready by now?"

"The coffee machine probably broke down," Chris said as he stood up, offering Rory his hand. "Wanna go help her?"

"I would love to," Rory smiled and stood up. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime, kid."

"Good to know," Rory said as they left the room. "But one last question."

"What, Ro?" 

"Why have you not named the coffee machine yet?" Chris simply laughed in response. _

"I have to talk to you," Logan said into the mirror. "No, that won't work," he shook his head. "I have to _talk _to you, Rory. I think we need to talk."

"You aren't breaking up with the girl, Logan. You're going to marry her," Honor said from the doorway, clearly amused by her brother's antics.

"Completely against my will, by the way."

"Oh yeah, I can see how hard you're rebelling against this. I'm so sorry for your plight," Honor said dryly.

Logan fell back onto his bed and groaned. "Honor, do we have to have this conversation now?"

"Well," she said, stepping into the room and sitting on his bed. "I'd like to have it sometime. I mean, I know you, Logan. You're my brother. Whatever you feel about this wedding, you're hiding it inside you. Finn told me what you said. About falling in love with Rory? You say that you want to fall in with your fiancé, and now," she paused. "Well, you're acting like you're against marriage in general. You're hiding it inside you because you're serious about this. Your whole life you've been happy-go-lucky, and you've never taken anything seriously. You got kicked out of, like, ten boarding schools for the stupidest of reasons, you get drunk every night, and you sleep with whomever you want to-"

"So what, Honor? It's my life. I'm allowed to live it the way I want to."

"No, you _were _allowed to live it the way you want to. You're growing up now, Logan. You have responsibilities. School, classes, work, the YDN. If it wasn't for Dad, you wouldn't be at Yale. You wouldn't in _college, _forget the Ivies. I doubt any state school would have taken you, Logan."

"I'm not _stupid, _Honor," Logan sat up and glared at her. "It amazes me how much faith you have in my intelligence."

"It is not about your intelligence, Logan!" Honor exploded. "It is about how for twenty-two years, you have completely ignored how your decisions affect everyone else. Unlike other Society families, ours is warm. You just like to make yourself the injured party, the victim, the misunderstood poor, little, rich boy, call it what you want," she threw her hands up in the air. "Because you don't want to take over HPG. Well, too bad, Logan. There could be worse things than being the CEO of a multi-national, multi-billion dollar company. I don't even know what you're afraid of. Dad did it. He didn't lose himself. Somehow, he managed to come to my dance recitals and your soccer games, a sport you sucked at, by the way, and managed to make enough money to get us whatever the hell we wanted ten times over. So I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you need to get over it.

"He didn't, Honor," he said in a low voice. His eyes showed his pain, and for the first time, Honor looked at her brother and realized that he knew something she didn't. Or maybe she did and had been trying to put it aside for the longest time. "He was a good dad, a good businessman. But he wasn't a good husband. He couldn't keep it in his pants long enough. You think my attitude is about HPG, but it's not. It's about not becoming our father."

And then like every other time after Honor had blown up at her brother, Logan opened up and explained his reasons, and Honor was reduced to feeling irrational and child-like. "Oh god. He cheated."

"Yeah," he admitted softly. "Quite a few times."

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, until Honor decided she had to ask. "How did you find out?"

Logan laughed bitterly. "It was pretty much the scene from the Nanny Diaries."

Honor turned to look at her brother in amazement. "You watched the Nanny Diaries?"

"Hey, Scarlett Johansson was hot, okay?" he said defensively.

She laughed. "Okay."

"Do you think I should talk to Rory?"

"I definitely think you should talk to Rory."

"Okay."

"So, tell me, do you think Scarlett Johansson is hotter than Alyssa Milano? I mean, she was your first wife and all."

"Honor!"

"What? It's an honest question."

"No, you're trying to embarrass me."

"Well is it working?"

"If I say yes will you stop?"

"Sure." 

"Great. Yes."

"Good to know, little brother," Honor laughed, then turned to Logan and looked at him seriously. "But speaking of wives, Dad really cheated on his?"

"Yeah. It was...weird...when I found out. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Tell you, or Mom? Tell Dad I knew? I just kept it to myself. Every time I saw Dad and Mom together, I felt like throwing up a little bit."

"It does hurt to think about them together right now. It's disgusting."

"It's very disgusting," Logan said. "And it made me wonder, is their whole marriage a lie? Did they even _want _us? Did Dad even want to marry Mom? I know he loves us, in his own Mitchum Huntzberger way, I guess, but did he want us to begin with? He needed an heir, so that's why I was conceived, but-"

"I was born first," Honor interrupted. "If I had been a boy, would you have been born?"

"Doubt it."

"I'm so happy I'm a girl," Honor mused.

"So am I, sis. So. Am. I."

"You're so emotionally screwed up," Honor stated. "You need a shrink."

Logan bolted upright. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Seriously! You have issues. You want to fall in love and get married, but you're worried you're going to cheat, since you're only used to no-strings agreements. You aren't going to say no to getting married to Rory, because you're afraid that the next girl is going to be a trophy wife, who you will end up cheating on, if there even is a next girl Mom sets you up with. If you _do _end up with a trophy wife, you _will _cheat, and then you're afraid you're gonna turn into Dad. Naturally, if that happens, your children, _if _you have any, are going to start doubting their existence. I'm confusing _myself_. _You're _even confused. You _need_ a shrink."

"Well, when you put it like that," Logan started.

"Ugh. I'm too tired to deal with this. Its 11 o'clock, Mom and Dad are going to be wondering why their married daughter and college-going son are at home on a Thursday night. We should go."

"No, I don't have any classes tomorrow. I think I'll just stick around here."

"You have to talk to Rory. Before the Gilmore-Hayden-Huntzberger dinner tomorrow night. Yale. Leave. Now."

He raised his hands up in the air. "Geez, woman. I'm going, God."

"Good," she said sternly. "Oh, hey, what about that bet of yours?"

"We're fixing the terms tomorrow night. Dad said he had some...things to discuss with the two of us."

"You're incorrigible."

"What can I say?" he smirked. "I try."

Honor just laughed and shooed him out the door. Logan stuck his head back in. "You're presence is required at dinner tomorrow night, by the way. I wouldn't be laughing if I were you."

She couldn't concentrate. She hadn't been able to concentrate all day. Not when she was driving back from Hartford, not when she was getting ready for class. She had just mumbled an 'I don't know. Sorry, professor,' at her professor when he had asked her a question in class. Rory had never been this distracted, and she really didn't want to start with the bad habits now.

The minute the professor dismissed the class, she gathered her things and hurried out as fast as she could, only to find Logan waiting for her with coffee. Not in the mood to talk to him, she brushed past him and kept walking, only to have him follow her.

"Let me guess," he said. "You're late, you're late for a very important date, no time to say hello so you'll just skip to the goodbye."

"I realize that you're mocking me, but yes. Sorry Alice. I have to go."

"Aw, come on Ace," Logan protested, reaching out to grab her arm. "Where's my good-bye kiss."

Rory stopped, turned to him, and grabbed the coffee. "Do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" Logan pretended to be confused. "I'm not doing anything." 

"Yes you are," Rory said. "You are always alluding to the fact that you and I are going to be married in a matter of months, and you don't care at all as to how I feel about you bringing it up all the time. I'm completely okay with talking to you, you're not bad company, but the fact that you keep bringing up this thing is just too much for me, because I really can't take it right now. It's been four days, Logan; no one is ready to joke about this."

"Look, you're right, Ace," Logan said seriously. "That's actually what I came here to talk to you about. We have to figure some things out before dinner tonight, because I can guarantee that my parents and your grandparents will have conveniently forgotten that they set us up."

"Really? You were?"

"I was," he replied, nodding. "Believe it or not, I can be serious sometimes."

"You just choose not to be?" she asked warily.

"Pretty much. I mean, well, I'm a complex person." 

"Or you just think you are," Rory turned and started walking.

"What does that mean?" Logan asked sharply, jogging to catch up to her. "You think I like being 'misunderstood'?"

"I don't think anything like that Logan," Rory protested. She looked around, noticing all the stares they were attracting, and then pulled him over to a secluded corner of the building. "Look, can we not have this talk here?"

"So now you want to talk about this?" Logan asked coldly. "What, are we going to do everything _your _way for the rest of our lives?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Look, are you hungry? Let's eat lunch, it's already one o'clock. We can eat and talk."

Logan sighed, and then nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," Rory said and linked her arm through Logan's. "Come on. We have food to eat."

Logan laughed at her antics, and, shaking his head, said finally. "Okay."

"You know what I hate?" Rory asked Logan as she bit into her crepe. "I hate how they just don't trust me. I mean, what is that? I am twenty-one years old. Legally, I can vote, I can drink, I can-"

"Buy a house?" Logan interrupted.

Rory looked at him quizzically. "Is there an age limit on that? Do you have to be a certain age to buy a house?"

"You know, I'm actually not sure," Logan mused. "I could do an article on that." 

"Please," Rory scoffed. "You couldn't do an article on anything."

"And why the hell not?" Logan asked, insulted. "I am just as good as writing an article as you are, Ace."

"Keep dreaming, burger boy."

"That's such an original nickname, Ace. Really. Impressive."

"Shut up, Logan," she swatted his arm playfully. "But back to our marriage. I always thought I'd marry someone I'd fall in love with. Maybe he'd be from Society, maybe not, but it would be my choice, you know? I don't want to be some trophy wife. I have plans for myself, I'm telling you that right now. Nepotism is something I abhor, and if I work at HPG, I'm going to earn my spot."

"Whoa, whoa, I don't want a trophy wife," Logan said seriously. "In fact, I was glad that it was you I'm marrying. You're not some blonde bimbo. Hey, I'm not saying we have to fall in love," but it would be good if we did, he thought. "But at least if we can be friends, we'll be better off than...otherwise."

"Friends," she repeated.

"Friends."

"We can be friends," she stated.

"I know, Ace, that's why I suggested it."

She ignored him, and then continued. "But can you be married to a woman who is more successful than you?"

Logan paused. "More successful than me?"

"Yeah."

"Ace, I'm going to be taking over as HPG's CEO," Logan explained slowly. "You can't _possibly_ be more successful than me."

"Why _you_? If I'm going to be your wife..."

Logan sat back in his seat, amazed. "No."

"Why not?"

"No," he said heatedly.

"Logan, come on," Rory laughed. "I'm just joking. I want to be a journalist, you know that."

"Yeah, I do," Logan looked down, blushing furiously.

"Hey, it's okay," Rory touched his arm. "I think it's sweet. You go around acting like you don't want to take over HPG but you're really possessive of it, aren't you?"

"My whole life I've been 'trained' to be the Huntzberger heir," Logan confessed. "It's become a part of me. I love the company, I do. I like working there, on my own merit. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, I guess you could say. I just don't like traveling part. The going away part. There are a lot of bad things about being the CEO of HPG, and sometimes I forget the good. Every time I try to run I have to remind myself that I _am _HPG. I can't run from it. Everyone just assumes that I don't like it, and that I don't really do...much, so I just let them think that. But at the end of the day, I don't want anyone else to have what's rightfully mine."

"Why?" Rory snapped. "I don't understand this philosophy of yours. 'People think bad things of me, let's prove them right'? Who does that, Logan? In your case, especially, you have to work twice as hard to prove that you deserve it, whether you get it handed down to you or no. You're smart, I can see that already. You love your company, you love what you do, but for some insane reason, you don't want people to know that? Your father worked hard to build what he has, and you work hard, every day, to make sure it stays like that."

"You know what; it was nice eating lunch with you. It was good while it lasted, but I'm not in the mood for another lecture from you, okay? I'll see you at dinner," Logan stood up, threw some money on the table, and then walked away.

"Jerk," Rory muttered. "I'm spending the rest of my life with a jerk."

A/N: If anyone is wondering about the timeline of this story, Chapter 1 starts on Monday night, then goes onto Tuesday. Chapter 2 is Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Chapter 3 is the rest of Wednesday, Chapter 4 is Thursday, and Chapter 5 is Thursday night and Friday morning/afternoon. Chapter 6 will be Friday night dinner. Starting with Chapter 7, I'm going to be picking up the pace. Sorry for such a long wait. Please review!


	6. Just like Calculus

A/N: I'm really sorry! I never meant to take such a long break from the story, but then I started summer assignments, and then Junior year began, and then I had SATs and MUN conferences and I'm my sweet sixteen's in a couple weeks, so I just got caught up in stuff. Anyways, I'm feeling very Christmas-y, so after this chapter, the story's gonna have a time-jump...to December.

And who knows what'll happen to Rory and Logan underneath the mistletoe? (;

SO yeah. I started writing this chapter when I got home from my SAT Subject test today (Math II WIN), and now I'm listening to Baby, It's Cold Outside by Darren Criss and Chris Colfer from Glee...wait, did anyone else catch that? Criss-Chris?

DOES ANYONE EVEN READ THESE?  
Onwards, ho. Twelve reviews please!

-RL-

"The SAT sucks," April said when Rory answered her cell. She was walking back home from the cafe that Logan had left her at, and was about to call April to tell her about the whole deal when April called her herself.

Rory shook her head, then remembered April couldn't see her. "I'd gladly take the SAT over again. At least for that test you know what to study."

"I would rather watch Grey's Anatomy re-runs. You know, when Izzie and Alex get married and when George wasn't dead. You, on the other hand, would rather study for the SAT. Brilliant. Nerd."

Rory shrugged. "Whatever. You are too. Don't tell me you aren't going to get at least a 2100."

April paused, then said, "Okay, you really need to come home. Because I told you, like, last week, that I'm taking my Subject Tests. And that I already took the SAT. And I got a 2250. And I have no idea why you're being so absent-minded because you're typically on my case more than Mom and Dad."

"Oh. You did tell me that, didn't you? You called me at 5 A.M. screaming loudly."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Look, Ro, what's wrong? You've barely come home lately, and Gigi and Will miss you. We hardly see you, and when we do it's like you can't wait to leave. Gigi told me yesterday that you called and immediately asked to talk to me? Rory, that's not fair. They love you, too, you know?"

Rory immediately felt guilty, her earlier thoughts returning. She _did _only talk to April and her parents, and it wasn't fair to her younger siblings at all. "Yeah," she said quietly.

April continued, "I know you're hurt. But I'm not apologizing for this because Gigi is six. And she can't tell you any of this herself, okay? So just, come home early tonight, and spend some time with them before dinner. It's Friday, so spend the weekend here. Besides, I think it's kind of pathetic how your fiance spends more time with your baby brother than you do..."

Rory's eyes widened. "What?"

"Uh, yeah. Logan's called Will a couple times in the past week."

"A couple times? April they met on Tuesday. It's Friday. A couple times means that Logan has called Will _every night _since then!"

"..."

"Aprille Cecilia!"

"Okay, that's not fair. I don't know how to respond when you use my full name."

"Logan's a jerk."

"Will loves him."

"He's worse than a jerk. He's a-a-an-asshole!"

"Gigi loves him, too."

"And all he does is insult people and put them down!"

"He tries to be friendly and put his walls up when people stick their noses where they don't belong."

"Exac- wait, you're disagreeing with me."

"Why yes, yes I am," April giggled. "Ro, you're just irritated because you think you're allowed to take him down a notch. And I agree, sometimes his ego does shine through. But he is a good guy, and he really is trying to be nice. You, on the other hand, have already judged him and are trying to provoke him into making your case."

"I am not doing that!" Rory said as she approched Branford Hall. "Look, I just think that if we're going to get married, we should be able to open up to each other."

"And you will, but not three days after you've met."

Rory paused. Three days? Had it really only been three days since she and Logan had met? For some reason, though, she had seen him so much in that short amount of time that she couldn't remember _not _having Logan around. In such a short time, he had become all she thought about, in a non-romantic way, of course. "Hm. When did you become such a relationship guru?"

"I've always been one! You just haven't noticed."

"Lies."

"If you say so. Look, Rory, I have to go. It's six o'clock, so if you leave now, you'll have some time with WIll and Gigi before you have to head over to Grandma's. Mom and Dad decided to take a spontaneous trip to God-knows-where like half an hour ago, and I'm staying home to study. So, if you don't come early then you don't get to see Gigi and Will."

"Okay. I'll leave now, just let me pack."

"Awesome. Bye." April hung up.

Opening her door, she started to take her boots off, and unravel her scarf. She shrugged her jacket off her shoulders then untied her hair, and, in her fluffy socks, started making her way to her room. Paris lifted her head from her spot on the couch, and said flatly, "Oh. It's you."

"I'm sorry," Rory looked around. "Does anyone else have the key to our place?"

"No, but I thought Jamie would come by..."

"Oh!" Rory remembered. "Jamie. Jamie. I know something about a Jamie..."

"What?" Paris shot up just as Rory's phone beeped. "What do you know?"

"That...Logan is picking me up in ten minutes, apparently." Rory's eyebrows furrowed as she read the text, then started to respond, typing furiously. "Rory!"

"What?"

"Jamie," Paris reminded her. 

"Oh. Gigi..she said something about how April was talking about a Jamie. And Dad said she went on a date last night. And I was just on the phone with her! And she didn't tell me!"

"Not interested in how your sixteen-year-old sister has a more interesting love life than I do."

"If you remember, she has a more interesting love life than me, too."

"Funny. I seem to remember an annoyingly charming hot blonde you get to call a fiance."

"Not by my own will...and 'annoyingly charming hot blonde'?" Rory stared. "Really, now?"

"Lying is not my forte."

"Okay, _that_ was a lie."

Paris threw a couch pillow at Rory. "Leave," she commanded. Rory stuck her tongue out, then went into the room and closed the door.

"I hate her," Paris muttered.

"I heard that!" Rory yelled through the door.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

-RL-

Half an hour ago, the idea of picking up his fiance had seemed great. They'd have an hour-long drive to Hartford, during which they'd talk about what had transpired at lunch, he'd apologize, she'd apologize, and then they'd kiss and make up.

Without the kissing.

Not that Logan wouldn't have _liked_ to kiss her, but he realized that Rory was going to be different. Rory was going to stick around. And scaring her away by kissing her (something he'd already done once before, and, consequently, had had to apologize for), was not something he wanted to do again. Knowing her, he'd just be shut off. Again.

Anyways, what actually happened was the farthest thing from his daydream. She didn't speak, at all, and this made him nervous. Was she still mad? Did she even want to be here? Did she hate him already? He just wished he could read her mind.

Smiling slightly at the worried expression on his face, Rory spoke softly, "I'm not mad at you, you know."

His grip on the steering wheel loosening, he turned and looked at her, then asked suspiciously, "Really?"

She nodded, "Absolutely sure."

"I would be, if I were you."

"But you _aren't_ me."

"True," he said grudgingly.

"Logan, I-" she paused. "I don't do much apologizing. I'm not usually wrong. But this time, I was. And I'm sorry, because I know I overstepped some boundaries. I shouldn't have, and in the future, I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay," he nodded slowly, accepting the apology. "And I'm sorry, for the way I...reacted to what you said. _All of it._"

Rory laughed, "Apology accepted." Logan flashed her a smile, which she returned. Then, she spoke again. "You know, sometimes, you're more confusing to me than calculus."

He snorted, "Calculus was easy."

She looked at him incredulously, "Are you joking?"

"Aw, come on, Ace. Finally trumped by something in school? Go figure. Even the smartest have their downfall."

"Did you just imply that I was a _nerd?_"

"I did no such thing. I outright said it. You, Rory Hayden, are a nerd."

"Logan!"

Sometimes, dreams do come true, Logan thought, as he drove the rest of the way home bantering with the blue-eyes beauty beside him.

-RL-

"You know, now that we're friends, I really wouldn't mind being stuck in a car with you for five hours."

"As opposed to...?"

"Opening that door."

"First calculus, now this. Exactly how many downfalls do you have, Ace?" Logan sighed, pretending to be disappointed.

"Love is looking past the flaws, Logan," Rory muttered, bouncing on her toes.

"And, _when _exactly did I say I was in love with you?"

She turned to look at him, eyes wide. "You really think you can resist these baby blues for too long, _Hoagie?_"

"If anyone is going to be falling for _anyone _in this relationship, it's going to be you," Logan said, smirking, as he reached past Rory to ring the doorbell.

"Why did you do that?"

"We have to go in sometime," he said darkly. "We can't stand out here forever. We'd freeze to death."

"I fail to see the problem in that," Rory protested stubbornly. "And I won't be falling for you. I like boys whose egos fit through the doorway."

The door opened before Logan had a chance to rebut, and the maid opened the door.

Rory smiled, then stepped in, took off her gloves and hat, and shrugged off her coat, Logan right behind her.

"You must be new," Rory commented. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rory Hayden. The granddaughter."

The maid nodded shyly, "I've heard much about you ma'am."

Logan snorted. "All bad things, I hope." The maid turned to him, and he stuck his hand out. When she didn't take it, he pulled it back in awkwardly. "Logan Huntzberger. The grandson-in-law."

"Rory! Logan! You're here, that's wonderful."

"Grandma."

"Emily."

"It's good that you two are here. Now we can start dinner."

"Dinner?" Logan questioned. "But there's no other cars in the driveway, it's just us."

"Oh no!" Rory buried her head in her hands. "April."

"What about April?" Logan turned to her, concerned. "Is something wrong, Ace?"

"No, well- yeah. I talked to her half an hour before you picked me up-"

"You came together?" Emily interrupted, clapping her hands together. "That's wonderful."

"Yes, we did," Rory said impatiently. "But April said that Mom and Dad weren't home, and that she was staying home to study, so if I wanted to see Will and Gigi I had to go home early, but then you picked me up, Logan, and we came straight here after that traffic jam."

"Oh," Logan paused. "That...is not a problem. Emily, is it okay if Rory and I skip dinner today? As it is, everyone else already...has."

Rory brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah, Ace. You haven't spent much time with your siblings lately, have you?" She shook her head. "Besides, I'd love to spend an evening with Will. Only, of course, if it's okay with Emily Gilmore," he smiled.

Emily sighed and gestured to the door. "If you must..."

"Oh thank you, Grandma, thankyouthankyouthankyou," Rory said loudly, hugging her grandmother goodbye. She was already putting her coat and gloves back on.

"Thanks, Emily. Have a nice night," Logan wished her, and, following her granddaughter out the door, disappeared into the night.

"They make a nice couple," the maid commented.

Emily smiled approvingly. "They do, don't they?"

-RL-

April scowled when she looked at the time. Nine o'clock. Really? Either Rory wasn't showing up, or she was stuck in a lot of traffic. And while that wasn't unheard of for a Friday night, Rory had left super-early.

"April! April April April!"

"What IS it, G?"

"Phone for you."

April ran into the kitchen, where her baby sister was sitting on the island, phone in her lap, giggling. "Who is it?" she asked, heart racing.

"James," Gigi answered happily. Summer, who was feeding Will, snuck a glance at the oldest Hayden child currently in the room and frowned. She hadn't met this boy, what if he wasn't right for April?

"James? Hey!" April said into the phone, trying to calm her nerves by biting her lip.

"Hey. I -uh, I tried your cell but it's dead, and I know you said not to call your home phone under _any _circumstances, but you _did _give it to me, so I figured I could use it if I had to, and I kinda have to. I'm really sorry, if you want me to hang up and delete the number, I could do that, too-"

"James," April said laughingly. "It's okay. Why'd you call?"

"Oh right. Um, I'm kinda outside your house right now. You said you'd been studying all day, and I figured I could take you out to get some dinner. Take a break and all..." he trailed off.

"You are?" April said loudly.

"Yeah," he replied uncertainly. "Why, is that a bad thing?"

"No, nonononono. It's a good thing, it's a great thing, I'll be right out."

"Okay, cool. I just have to move my car. Apparently, it's kinda creepy the way I keep looking at your house, and the guy who just pulled into your driveway doesn't like it much."

"...There's a guy in my driveway?"

At that, Summer looked up and walked out of the kitchen, and into (April assumed) the foyer. "Rory's here, April. And she's brought Logan with her."

April's face fell. Trust Rory to have the world's worst timing ever. "James," she said into the phone. "I think we're going to have to reschedule that dinner."

"Actually, April, I don't think we're going to have to do that," Logan's voice replied. "Because your boyfriend's going to be joining us for dinner."

April's eyes widened. This was not good.

-RL-

A/N: Okay, so I just...apologize. I started writing this on December 4th, and it is now December 13th. The last time I updated was in August. If I were you, I would want to kick me. Seriously. I'm SO sorry!

Next chapter, TIME-JUMP. And April's story WILL be clarified, and Rory and Logan WILL have a talk that doesn't just skim the surface of their issues. I promise. And it will be soon, because Winter Break (and my Sweet Sixteen party) is this Friday.

Also, I think I'm going to write some Glee fics, because God knows how long I'll survive with a broken-up Finchel and a two-month long hiatus. It's like death by torture, but much, much worse.

This is a really short chapter, too. Only eight pages. I'm so sorry!

REVIEW! (:


	7. The jerk in the Merc

A/N: My love life is such a disaster right now, and since my characters' lives reflect mine, you may have mixed decisions about this one.

Merry Christmas everyone! And thanks for everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted REALLY. It feels good!

Word Count w/o Author's note: 4,062. 12 and a half pages. 

-RL-

'_RIIIIIIIIIIIIING.'_

"Oh, thank God," April sighed in relief as she heard the bell that signaled the end of school. "I've never heard a more glorious sound in my life."

"Tell me about it," Samantha, her best friend, agreed. "Winter Break, here we come!"

"Don't you just feel as if a weight has just been lifted off of your shoulders? It's like...physically; your body realizes it will be getting more sleep from now on."

"Actually, yeah, but-" Samantha was cut off.

'_That may be all I need, in darkness she is all I see. Come and rest your bones with me, driving slow on Sunday morning, and I never want to leave._'

April stopped and looked through her messenger bag, digging for her phone. When she finally found it, she checked the Caller ID and answered with an annoyed "What?"

"Well, aren't we just a pocketful of sunshine, today?"

"Logan, why do you have a personalized ringtone on my phone?"

"So that I can make puns when I call you. Like the one I just did."

"My ringtone for you is Sunday Morning by Maroon 5."

"Oh, damn. Wrong sister. Can you make it Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield?"

"No," she answered flatly.

Samantha smiled, clearly amused, and the mouthed "I'm leaving," and pointed towards the parking lot. April nodded her head and waved, then started walking towards her own car.

"Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt your conversation with someone more important to yourself than me?"

"Mhmm."

"April, come on. You can be a little more responsive than that."

"Or, you could just accept the fact that I don't like you very much right now."

"Sorry, that trait is not one that I possess. I ooze charm. Everyone loves me."

"Uh, no. No they don't. People _lusted_ after you. So you became a playboy who needed an arranged marriage and then ruined his to-be-wife's younger sister's nonexistent love life."

"If it's nonexistent, April, then how did I ruin it? Also, there are multiple things wrong with your description of me. Not that, you know, I care." Contrary to his words, he did sound more than a little hurt. "I do actually care about you. You know that, right?"

April huffed with impatience, and, ignoring the sleek black Mercedes that was headed towards her, started crossing towards the lot anyways. The car screeched to a stop inches away from her, and the driver angrily got out of the car and started walking towards her. April turned towards him, an icy expression on her face.

"April? Are you okay, I thought I heard a car screeching," Logan asked worriedly. "April?"

"I'm here," she answered distractedly. "Some jerk in a Merc almost killed me. And now he's going to want a confrontation. I'll call you back."

"Okay, just don't do anything I...wouldn't...do," he said awkwardly.

"I can live with that," she shrugged and hung up.

"I wouldn't have killed you if you watched where you were going," the driver said. A tall brunette, nearly 6'2", with dizzying green eyes, and extremely long eyelashes, April's first instinct was to flash him a smile. Then she remembered he had almost run over her with his car, which, she looked back at, reflected what she already surmised from his attitude. He was rich. And a jerk.

"Oh, I knew exactly where I was going," April turned to him, smirking. "So, if you could just _move_," she put her arms on his shoulders and shifted him to the side. "I could get back to going there. Thanks." She started walking past him, but he turned around to face her back and called her back.

"Hey, Hayden."

"How'd you know my name, Merc-jerk?" she turned.

He spread his arms. "This is Chilton. Everyone here is someone to know."

"So you knew who I was when you came at me full speed?"

He rolled his eyes. "No. Sorry, my life doesn't revolve around knowing your whereabouts at all times."

"Good. Because, you know, if it had, that would make you a stalker."

"Look at me," he smirked. "Do I look like I need to stalk girls? They come to me."

"Okay, cool guy," she said sarcastically. "And has anyone ever told you that eavesdropping is _rude?_"

"No, really?" he replied, equally sarcastic. "I was taught that people are supposed to look both ways before they cross."

"I _did."_ April replied scathingly. "But _some people_ don't drive at speed limit."

"Hey, if you got it, flaunt it."

"Yeah, who cares if someone dies? At least you got to show off your new car, right?"

"Because you drive, what? A 2007 Toyota Camry to school?"

"Actually, yes, I do. It's school. Such a blatant display of wealth," she waved at the car. "Is tasteless. Not to mention rude and belittling. Wealth isn't an issue I want to get into with my friends."

He stopped glaring. "Yeah, you'd win every time wouldn't you?" he stated. There was no biting tone behind it, just an underlying tone of respect. "That's nice of you."

She shrugged. "Just because you have it doesn't mean you have to make everyone else feel like they don't."

The bite was back. "Just because you're nice doesn't mean you have to make the rest of us feel like we're assholes."

"I never said you were."

"But you thought it."

"Would you deny me that right? It's a free country, after all. And, you know, a first impression is important."

By now, they had attracted a crowd. Those who hadn't rushed home after the final bell, or who had Winter Sports to practice for, which April, thankfully, did not have, had stopped in the parking lot and had circled around them. Until now, April had been too busy arguing to realize, but now, as she looked around, her mood, already bad, began to worsen.

The boy, seeing her look around, smirked. "Scared of getting a bad reputation? Don't worry. They aren't as horrible as they sound. Besides, you have a great reputation. You probably made a really good first impression here," he said, faking sympathy. "On the other hand, I've now been slapped with a bad one."

"That's great, for you. Honestly. Now I really do have to go," she started to turn around, and then stopped. "Oh, and piece of advice? Don't think too hard the next time you're trying to have 'flirty banter' with a girl."

"I'd say it was nice meeting you," he called over her shoulder. She stopped. "But what?" she asked, facing away from him. "It wasn't?"

"Exactly." He turned and started walking towards his car, then got in. The crowd parted to let his car through, and then turned its collective attention on her.

"What? There's nothing to see here, people. Move on with your lives."

The kids parted silently, and April made her way to her car, which was, sure enough, a 2007 Silver Toyota Camry, muttering silently the whole time.

-RL-

"You heard a car screeching?"

"Yeah, really close to her. And she was really annoyed the whole day. If that guy didn't stop, I don't know what sort of a state she'd be in right now, Rory."

"Logan," Rory reminded him softly. "April is fine. She's just...not in a good mood. She applied to MIT and she really wants to get in. Skipping Senior Year and going straight to college is a big deal for her. Decisions are supposed to come out soon. She's got a lot of stress on her."

"Exactly, and almost getting killed in her school parking lot isn't going to help that."

"Neither is her older sister's overprotective fiancé," she said as she gave him his coffee and joined him on the couch. "Especially when he ruined her last relationship by dragging the boy into her house and insisting he have dinner with the family."

"Your parents weren't even there," he protested. "How intimidating could it have been?"

"_Very_. You and I were there. That's intimidating enough."

"We are not intimidating," Logan said laughingly. "No way."

"To some kid hopingto get into UConn on a scholarship, having dinner with two blue-blooded Elis, one with a building named after her at Yale, and the other an heir to a multi-million dollar communications group, well, I don't know about you, but I think that's intimidating."

"Fair point," Logan conceded. "But we were nice enough to James, right?"

"You mean in between the Spanish Inquisition he experienced firsthand, when you asked him why he _wasn't_ applying to Yale? Or why he thought it was okay to distract April from studying, or how he knew where she lived-"

"I get the point."

"Good." Rory reached for the TV remote, then turned to him and said, "I'm glad we're friends."

"Yeah. Me too." Luckily, she didn't catch the disappointment in his voice.

"Oh, look. 'It's a Wonderful Life' is on ABC Family!"

"What are you waiting for, Ace?" He reached over to the coffee table, and picked up the bowl of popcorn and set it on his lap. Then, he put his feet up where the coffee table used to be, right next to Rory's, and put his arm behind her, resting on the back of the incredibly comfy couch. Rory grabbed the blanket folded next to her, and spread it over them. As she put her head on his shoulder, he couldn't help but think that if anyone were to walk in on them just now, they'd see a cute couple watching a Christmas movie.

If only that were true.

Of course, they were at the Hayden home, since Rory had decided to live at home for the full two weeks she had off from classes, and Logan, rather than stay alone at Yale (both Colin and Finn were going overseas. Colin across the Pond with Stephanie, to see his parents, and Finn to Australia, for his cousin's wedding. No doubt he'd find a redhead, fall in 'love', and come back to school just in time for finals in May) decided to come back to Hartford and brave his own home. It did mean he'd get to see Rory more often, which was definitely a plus.

In the last month and a half, after their dinner with her younger siblings, she had made every effort to be nice to him. In return, he started to open up to her slowly. She now knew that Honor was the only one he completely and truly trusted, and why he acted the way he did about HPG. She knew that he strived for his father's praise but hated that about himself; she knew that if his father hadn't put so much pressure on him to work for HPG, to make it so great, he would have put more effort into it. Given it his all.

But it wasn't just that. Rory knew almost everything about him, from the way he preferred pizza to any of the fancy five-course meals his mother always served, to the fact that he always wore mismatched socks.

She even knew that he wore his yellow Livestrong bracelet in support of cancer research, and so he would always remember Finn's mother, how her death had changed the three boys.

She didn't think of him as the egotistic jerk that used his name, looks, and money to get girls and everything else he wanted.

Or so he hoped.

-RL-

Christopher Hayden wasn't stupid. He got into Princeton on merit, tracked down his runaway girlfriend and baby daughter on his own, and founded a law firm that had been flourishing since the beginning.

He was intelligent _and _smart. For starters, he knew the difference between the two.

So when his middle daughter came home with a look that clearly screamed 'leave me alone' and replied "I almost got hit by a car today, Daddy," when he asked how her day was, he did what any father would do.

He went to go look for his wife.

"Chris," Lorelai called out from the foyer. "You home?"

"In the kitchen," he replied.

Lorelai put her keys in the bowl on the table across from the coat closet, then took off her overcoat, beanie, and boots. As she walked towards the kitchen, she could smell Starbucks' Cinnamon Flavored Natural Fusions ground coffee. "I love you," she said as she walked in.

He handed her a cup and she inhaled the scent. "You are, truly, the best husband ever."

"Thank you," he sat down on a stool at the kitchen island. She followed, and set herself down across from him. "Generally this is the part where you say it back."

"You are, truly, the best husband ever, Lorelai."

"Chris!"

"What? I'm joking."

"Well by all means, continue," she got up. "But don't expect me to listen. I am going into the home theater to watch a movie. Preferably 'It's a Wonderful Life'."

"You can't," Chris said smilingly. "Because Rory and Logan are in their watching it."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Christopher, why didn't you tell me?"

"I _did _tell you, just now."

"You should have told me when I walked in."

"I did, you just walked in!" he sputtered.

"No," Lorelai said stubbornly, eyes wide. "When I first walked in, you gave me coffee! You didn't mention our daughter and her fiancé watching the most amazing Christmas movie of all time."

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," he defended.

"Aha!" she pointed. "So you admit that you didn't tell me as soon as I walked in."

Chris raised his hands in the form of surrender. "I admit, happy now?"

"Not when you make a face like that, no I'm not. What _else _did you forget to tell me, huh? Did one of our children get hit by a car today, too? Did you forget to tell me about that, huh? Didya, didya?"

While he knew she was joking about that, he figured now would be a good time to let her know that April needed someone to talk to.

"Actually, Lorelai," he said slowly. "I'm not sure what happened exactly, but-"

"Oh, my God, Chris. One of our kids is in the _hospital?_ And you thought giving me coffee would make me less mad? What kind of a husband are you?" she cried.

His face fell. "Lorelai, no one's in the hospital," he said flatly. "Thank you for having that much faith in me."

"Oh." Instantly she became serious. "Well, the way you made it sound..."

"Yeah, I know. It's not what I meant, though. When I asked April how her day was, she said, and I quote, 'I almost got hit by a car today, Daddy.'"

"Well did she say anything else?" Lorelai asked, already on her way out of the kitchen to the staircase.

"She mentioned something about a jerk in a Mercedes," he yelled.

"Oh, aren't those the best kind?" Lorelai called back.

"What?" Chris asked himself. "What does that even mean?"

-RL-

She was expecting it. She had been expecting it since her phone call with Logan, even though her dad hadn't known when she came home.

She knew, though, that the minute Chris told Lorelai what she had said, she was doomed.

"Aprille Cecilia Gilmore Hayden, you open this door right now!"

And there it was. Lorelai Gilmore could be the coolest mother ever (she hadn't changed her name after marriage, claiming professional reasons. Which professional reasons, April had never ascertained.) but she could also be the most loving, caring, overprotective mother hen that clucked away at her four children in a way that truly made her deserve the Mother of the Year award she (never) received from the DAR every year.

"Aprille Cecilia Gilmore-" Lorelai was cut off when April wrenched the door open and then walked in and fell onto her bed, legs dangling over the edge. She stared at the ceiling and started singing along to the song Lorelai recognized from the new Coca-Cola ad she had seen on TV earlier.

"Aw, honey, what's wrong."

"I'm starting to re-think my life."

Okay, that was not something Lorelai was expecting. Her daughter was 16. And, as far as she knew, she had a stellar life. Friends that were always over, teachers with glowing reports, a loving family. The only thing that _she knew_ April didn't have was a boyfriend, but that didn't mean that April didn't actually have a boyfriend.

"Um, why?"

"Because. You know, James and I went on a couple dates, right? And I had Ethan before that. So it's not like I've never had a boyfriend. But, it's Christmas. And I'm sixteen. I just figured that I wouldn't be at the point where the last guy I was remotely interested in almost ran me over with his car in the school parking lot."

"April, you're sixteen! You're not getting married anytime soon. And ask Rory, she has someone and she's not completely happy with the way her love life is turning out."

"It's because of _her _love life that I _don't have one._"

Lorelai looked at her. "You're saying that this is all Logan's fault."

"Yes!"

"Well it's not. Honestly, if James couldn't handle Rory and Logan, there was no way he'd be able to handle the rest of the family. Normally, I'd be the one telling you to break free and be your own person. I support that, you know I do. I just don't want you to be with someone you feel you have to hide yourself and your family from. When I was with Luke, there were some things I couldn't talk about."

"People don't always have to be rich to be able to fall in love, Mom." 

"Oh, honey no, that's not what I'm saying, at all."

"Then?" April looked at her expectantly.

"You need to choose carefully. There are things that can tear a relationship apart. Love isn't always enough, and I want you to be aware of that."

"Right now, I don't even have love."

"You have a cute guy at school."

"He's irritating. He thinks he's God's gift to women, and that any and all wealth you have should be displayed proudly. He doesn't care about other people's feelings, and he eavesdrops, Mom!"

"Wow, he eavesdrops. Sounds like someone you should stay away from," Lorelai faked agreement.

"Mom!"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"April, are you okay? With MIT and this car thing and love and Logan and James. Hun, you're all over the place, and I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, he didn't hit me. Just a little shaken up, but I slept it off. Besides, you're right, I'm only sixteen. I've got a while. Logan just...he was caring about me, and I should appreciate that."

"You should," Lorelai agreed as she got up from her daughter's desk chair. She crossed the room to the corkboard in the middle of a wall of pictures that had originally been blank. Her daughter had grown up so much. She reached out to softly touch the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pennant, then turned back to her daughter. "And MIT?"

April looked unsure, as if she had a secret to tell. "Mom, about that..."

-RL-

"We never had that talk," Rory said suddenly.

Logan didn't take his eyes off of the screen. "What talk?"

"The one where we _talk _about how we went from arguing all the time to being friends."

"And here I thought you just wanted to avoid."

"I _did._ Now I'm not so sure that that was the best idea."

"Rory," Logan reached across her to get the remote, then paused the screen. "We do need to have that talk. Are you sure you want to have it right now?"

She paused, her heart racing at the proximity, then nodded.

"Okay then," Logan got up off the couch. "Don't get mad at me if I suddenly become like an asshole."

She snorted. "Of course I will."

"We're getting married," Logan said, all business now. "And they did it for a reason, or maybe they didn't. Maybe they decided that we'd be good for each other. Either way, it's happening. You have a ring on your finger that I put on you right before your grandfather cut the turkey."

Instinctively, she started fiddling with the ring. "You have secrets. You go places for your father, and you do business I haven't even heard of. You think you keep your secret girlfriends from me, but you don't. I hear it. I am Rory Hayden, the Sophomore at Yale who is engaged to Logan Huntzberger. And he cheats on her, all the time."

"What are we?" he retaliated. "Because honestly, if you told me, right now, or ever, actually, that you wanted us to make this real, I would do it. I would drop the girls on the side."

"Logan, that's not what I mean."

"Wha- what do you mean, then?" he asked softly. For an instance, Rory almost felt as if he was afraid of the answer.

"You're my friend. A good friend. And I'd like to assume that it's mutual, but I can't make that decision for you!"

"It is, it's very mutual, Rory," he hastened to agree. "You need to know that. As a person, as a friend, you're important to me." 

"Good. We're getting married. But we aren't in love. And you have certain...needs," she blushed. "That you can fulfill...elsewhere.."

"Every after we're married?"

She paused. "I don't know."

"Honestly, I'd much rather be with my wife."

"You don't _love _your wife, Logan." By this point, she was standing up, too.

"You think I'd be in love with the girls that sleep with me just after meeting me?"

She looked at him repulsed. "That is disgusting. You are a pig. Look, do what you want! Okay, I don't know, I thought you were a good friend. I said what I thought you wanted to hear, and you're _still _blowing up at me."

That stung.

"So we aren't friends," he understood. Smiling bitterly to hide the disappointment, he said, "Okay."

"Logan, no! That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean, Rory?" he asked tiredly. "I told you that you wouldn't want to have this conversation. You didn't listen. Listen now. I allowed to happen. I said yes to marrying you because you were different. You said what you wanted, you weren't afraid to be your own person. I liked that. I could see something with you, something different than the normal relationships that Society seems to create with every wedding. Like what your parents have. I wanted that."

"And so you said yes to me."

"And so I said yes to you. I didn't want to become my father. I still don't. You think he loves my mother? I don't. If it weren't for the fact that he needed an heir, Honor and I wouldn't be here. If she had been a boy, I wouldn't be here. I won't lie, he wasn't a bad father. He was a good father. He was a good father, and a successful son, and an amazing businessman. What he was crap at, though, was being a husband. He cheated on my mother. Countless times. I don't want to become that."

"Logan-"

"No, hear me out. I need to say this. I love HPG. I do. I love running it, being in power, all of it. I thrive there. But being under my father's thumb is poisonous for me. Doing anything similar to him is like my Kryptonite. My father has many untrustworthy friends; I have very few friends, but they're all trustworthy. He has a loveless marriage; I intend to make mine beautiful. I want love. I want to fall in love with you, and I feel, sometimes, as if I'm already halfway there."

"Oh, Logan I-"

"Which is why," he cut her off for the last time. "I hate that you said I could cheat on you. Because I don't want to. Just- just think about all of that for a while, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered.

"I'm just going to go now."

"Bye."

As he walked towards the door, she stopped him.

"Logan!"

"Yes?"

She walked towards him, hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Just give me some time."

"We have the rest of our lives."

-RL-

A/N: As you can see, it's starting to drift away from Romance/Humor. I did, though, start with the intention of keeping it light, and now that all of Logan's issues are out (since Rory didn't actually have any), we can get into the lightness of it all without feeling like I've just barely scratched the surface of the story.

I hope from now on their relationship will feel easy, as if they're comfortable being open with each other, rather than just purposely light as if they're hiding themselves.

In other news, I'm addicted to Smallville. I started watching the whole series on Sidereel, in order, and once I update this chapter, I'm going to finish the Season 1 finale. Tom Welling's cute.

OHH and I like someone completely off-limits! Who's been in that position before?

AND LAST THING: Should April make it to MIT or no?


	8. Christmas, part 1

A/N: Holy COW. 8 chapters, 92 reviews. That's impressive! Thank you guys SO MUCH. I just wanted to change a few things and add a bit to my author's note, so I'm replacing chapter 8.

Also, for those of you who are interested, **I ended up writing a one-shot about the dinner mentioned at the end of chapter 6.** It's called **Dinner With James,** and I've already posted it. If you do read it, please review!

**There are mistakes in this story. **I have clarified everything at **my Tumblr site** (where you can ask me questions, submit ideas, flame me, check up on new ideas, suggest fics for people to read, just follow me in general. I'm using it because I'm already familiar with Tumblr and I LiveJournal would take some time to get used to.

dreaminginnewyorkffnet.

tumblr.

com

Disclaimer: I just realized I haven't put this for the past five or so chapters. Sorry! I DO NOT OWN GILMORE GIRLS. Just April and Will Hayden, the Merc-jerk, and...yeah, not much else.

-RL-

**December 23rd, 2010. 11:00 AM. Gilmore House. **

"Ro! Look, they're burnt." April said as she opened the oven door and waved her hand to get rid of the smoke.

"Again?" Rory exclaimed. She bent over to see for herself. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Haha," Gigi poked Rory and giggled. "I can bake better than you Ro-ro!" She held up a gingerbread cookie with an unsteady white border and various green and red frosting decorations. "My gingerbread man is better than yours."

Rory scooped her little sister up and went to take a bite of the gingerbread cookie. Gigi lifted her hands just in time and ate it herself. "Aw, come on G. Not even a little piece?" Rory pouted.

"No." Gigi said firmly. "It's the rules!"

"They are the rules," April said, straightening. "You can only eat from your own batch. Unless you're Will, when you eat from Mom's batch." She paused. "I think sometimes Will wishes he could just make his own batch; might taste better."

Rory snorted. "Mom's not that bad of a cook."

April stared at her. "Okay, let's pretend you didn't say that. Also, cooking and baking are completely different."

"Mmm, baking is more fun." Gigi licked her fingers. "And tastes better."

"And," April said, pointing to the cookie sheet on the counter next to the oven. "It is the one thing that I am better than you at."

"That is not true!" Rory protested. She set her baby sister down on the kitchen island, and Gigi jumped down. She landed, raised her arms, and said, "And she sticks the landing."

Rory shook her head, laughing, then turned back to April, plastering a glare on her face. "You are better than me at so many things, April, not just baking."

"Like what," April demanded.

"Uh, all sciences, any kind of math, foreign languages, meeting new people, _baking_, multi-tasking, tennis, basketball, dancing..."

April looked at the floor, fighting a smile. "You can stop now," she said, appeased.

"And miss the chance to inflate my super-modest sister's ego? No thank you."

"You don't need to go around inflating people's egos, Rory. You're going to be living with a super big one for the rest of your life," April said, referring to Logan.

"What's an ego?" Gigi asked. Rory was about to answer when Will came running into the room, frosting on his cheeks and hands and powdered sugar in his hair.

"Eggo! Eggo!" Will yelled happily. "Waaaaaaaffles!"

Rory crouched down to her brother's eye-level, startled by how hyper he looked. "Whoa there, Willy Waffle," she wrapped her arms around him to keep him in place. "What have _you_ been doing?"

He bounced on his feet, giggling, and said,"It's a secret."

Rory moved closer, amused, so that Will could whisper in her ear.

"COOKIES!" he yelled. Then, with the strength she didn't know he had, he wriggled out of her grasp and ran out of the room, screaming "Cookies! Waffles! Cookies! Waffles!"

"OW!" Rory grabbed her ear. "That hurt!"

"Well," April snorted. "You kind of should have known he was going to do that."

"I did! I just didn't think he'd do it so loud." She looked back at the doorway, where he had run out moments before, still holding her ear.

"Sure, sure, whatever," April dismissed. She turned to her younger sister, who was trying to sneak some cookie dough into her mouth. "Uh uh," April grabbed the dough out of Gigi's hands. "You know that's bad for you, G."

"But it's so _good_," Gigi stomped her foot in protest. "_You _do it."

"But we're older than you, G. A lot older. Stuff that's bad for you isn't always bad for us." Rory soothed.

"No fair. You guys always leave me out."

"So go play with Will, then," April said. "Is anyone asking you to be here?"

"Fine, I will," Gigi said, as heatedly as a six year old could.

"Have fun with Captain Waffles!" April called after her as she ran out of the room. "And don't stomp your feet!"

"April!"

"What?"

"You can't just yell at Gigi like that."

"Why not?"

"Because she's _six_?" Rory said incredulously. "Maybe that's why."

"Yeah, she's _six. _She's not a baby anymore. She goes to school, she has friends. She needs to learn how to listen to people. If _we _don't say anything about how bratty she's being, other people will."

"Mom can do that," Rory protested feebly. "That's the job, right? For parents."

"Yeah. Mom and Dad do discipline them, but we're their older siblings. We're around a lot more," she paused, the unsaid '_I'm_ around a lot more' hanging heavy in the air. "We have a responsibility to them, too. Look, Rory," April cut to the chase. "I love you and all, and so do they, and I know you love us, too, but you're not as close to them as you are to me. That means that you're afraid to yell at them or say anything bad to them because you're afraid they'll hate you. I'm not afraid to do that. You need to not be afraid," she said strongly.

"I know...I just," Rory trailed off helplessly. "What do I do? They're my baby siblings and I don't _know _them. I don't want them to grow up and not know me."

"Come home more often," April said immediately. "And call. Be yourself around them. Act like you're family, not some long-lost relative who doesn't fit in."

"But-"

"No. That's all I'm going to say on the subject. Will is _three. _He's not going to remember that you were not here much in the beginning of his life. Gigi is six. She's not going to remember much, either. You can fix this. You're a smart, capable, twenty-two year old, who got into Yale. If you can do that, you can figure out a way to have a strong relationship with your younger siblings."

"Okay."

"So tell me about Logan," April swiftly changed the subject. "What happened last Friday?"

"Apr-"

"_Logan._"

"But-"

"No," April said firmly. "I want to know what happened."

"Nothing big. We just watched a movie, talked a little, hetoldmehewasinlovewithme," she said quickly. "Just a normal hang-out between friends."

But April heard. "HE DID WHAT?" She quickly moved around the kitchen island to stand in front of Rory, grabbing her sister's shoulders. "Are you serious? Tell me everything. Verbatim. Every single word."

"I don't remember every single word!"

"Well do the best you can! You don't get to just leave me hanging!" 

Laughing, Rory removed her sister's arms from her shoulder and walked over to the oven to set the timer for the next batch of cookies. She turned back to April and motioned to the living room doors. "I think we should maybe sit down."

"Okay," April ran into the living room and settled herself on the couch. "I'm sitting down."

"Fine, fine," Rory walked over and settled herself next to her sister. "We were watching 'It's a Wonderful Life', and the phone scene came up, you know, where they're sharing the phone and then they're really close to kissing...and,"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," April said impatiently. "Move on."

"I was feeling awkward," Rory said sheepishly. "So I tried to get us talking about-"

"Yourselves. Wow."

"I didn't know what else to do!" Rory defended.

"You were feeling awkward watching an emotional scene with your fiance so you brought up another, more awkward, conversation?"

"...When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous."

April hit her sister with a pillow. "That's because it IS ridiculous."

"So _anyways,_" Rory said. "I told him we should talk about it, and he said we shouldn't because I may not like what he had to say and eventually we just came out with the fact that I don't want him to cheat on me and he doesn't want to cheat, he says that the moment I tell him I'm all in he'd drop all the other girls on the side. He also said he hasn't _had _another girl on the side since we found out we were getting married."

April let out a breath. "Wow."

"Yeah."

"Logan said this?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"I know. He also said that he, um, he didn't want a marriage like his father's, he wanted someone he loved to come home to, he said that sometimes he thought he was halfway there, in love with me, and that he was hurt that I said he could cheat on me because I said he could cheat on me. Who does that, April? Why would I say that? I don't even understand...and he said yes to me because he _wanted _to marry me? Or...or something, I don't know...he just... I was different? And I didn't just fall for him? And I really, really, like him April. And I think I'm okay with marrying him," Rory ranted, panic etched on her face. "That's so scary. I'm okay with getting married to the cockiest asshole this side of the Atlantic Ocean."

"It's okay, Rory," April soothed. "You can marry Prince Harry next time." She paused. "Hey that rhymed. Sort of."

"April, shut up," Rory buried her head in her hands. "You have no idea how easy you have it."

"Oh? Okay, how easy do I have it." April leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes. "Tell me about my stress-free life. Please."

"You're in high school, you don't have to worry about love, you have the best relationship you could possibly have with all three of your siblings, good grades, good friends...nothing's lacking for you. You aren't worried about spending the rest of your life with someone!" 

"On the contrary," April shot back. "I'm worried about _not _spending the rest of my life with someone."

"You...what?" Rory asked surprised. Of all the things she had expected her sister to say ("Yeah, I agree with you, Rory"), this was not one of them. April was a strong, confident young woman, whose relationship status wasn't due to lack of options. She knew that if April actually agreed to go out whenever she was asked, she'd be out on the town _every _weekend. Luckily for Chris' blood pressure (and now Logan's, apparently), April had high standards. And that was no one's fault but her own. "April, why? You're sixteen."

"I know I'm sixteen! But I just...I don't know. Like you said, nothing's lacking, I just... I feel lonely. Most of my closest friends have boyfriends. They do couple things and they go on dates and they share limos for school dances. It's Christmas. I have no one to kiss under the mistletoe."

"Aw, Ape, come here." Rory reached her arms out to hug her sister.

April shifted to stare at her sister. "Please tell me you did not try to comfort me by calling me a monkey."

"Well what other nicknames exist for 'April'?"

Slightly placated, April shrugged. "Dunno. Figure it out."

"_Ape_," Rory emphasized. "Come here." April leaned into the hug, and Rory started to smooth over her hair. "You're sixteen. Whether or not you have a boyfriend until you're 26 doesn't make a difference to anyone. You'll find him, whoever he is. He'll be there, waiting for you, for as long as you make him wait. Because you're special."

"Ro-"

"No. It'll happen. It'll happen when it happens. Que sera sera and all that."

"Que sera sera doesn't _work _for me!"

"Why?"

"I have a plan for my life," April confessed. "I go to MIT for undergrad, Hopkins for grad school, do my internship and residency at Columbia Pres., get married, have three kids."

Rory stared at her sister blankly. Where had this come from? April was impulsive. Rory was the one who planned everything out. Now, suddenly, Rory was going to take a chance on her feelings for Logan. April, on the other hand, was slowing down, rejecting boys left, right, and center, and planning for her future. A future that apparently involved a surgical residency, loving husband, and three kids in New York City.

"April," she paused, taking it all in. "How are you going to do all this?"

"I've got time, Rory. I'm only sixteen."

"I don't mean to dis your plan or anything, I swear. And it's a great plan," she added. "It's just...this is a serious plan. This is you saying 'I don't want to do anything else with my life.'"

"I _don't _want to do anything else with my life," April confessed.

"April..."

"No! Besides, don't you think it's kind of sad that I haven't had a boyfriend in over two years?"

"I stand by what I said earlier."

"I think it's sad that the last guy I found even remotely attractive..." she blushed, then continued, cringing. "Was the guy who almost ranmeoverwithhiscar."

"He did WHAT?" This time the roles were switched.

"Yeah, it's a long story."

"So Logan wasn't kidding."

"No, he wasn't, but we're not talking about Logan, we're talking about..."

At the confused look on April's face, Rory realized that April hadn't bothered to get this guy's name. "You don't know his name," she said flatly.

"No," April said incredulously. "I was yelling at him for like, five minutes, an he was standing right _there _all six feet of hunky teenage boy, flirting with me, and he knew _my _name. I never realized I didn't know _his._"

"April..."

"But you know what," April changed her mind. "It doesn't matter. I have my plan."

"Okay. But, think about this. College, med school, internship, residency, and whatever comes after that. This isn't Grey's Anatomy, you're not going to be young by the time you can breathe again. It's a hectic life. You'll live in a hospital. And what about doing something in IT. Isn't that the purpose of applying to MIT a year early?"

"Rory," April said softly, looking at the ground.

Suddenly, something dawned on her. "What aren't you telling me?"

April looked her straight in the eye and said, "I'm not going to MIT this fall."

-RL-

**Christmas Day, 2010. 12:00 PM. Huntzberger household. **

"It was very kind of you to invite us all over, Shira," Emily leaned over Francine to say.

"Oh no, no," Shira waved away the thanks. "It was nothing. The more the merrier, I say. Besides," she glanced at Rory and Logan, whispering to each other quietly at the opposite end of the table. "We'll all be family soon enough anyways."

The Huntzbergers had invited the entire Gilmore-Hayden clan over for Christmas Day.

All of Christmas Day.

Rory wasn't sure how exactly this would work out. Christmas Day typically consisted of a nice family breakfast at her grandparents' home (either set, it alternated each year), after which they would waste their day away (within the same house), then rejoin for a magnificent Christmas dinner. The whole lot of them would then stay the night, talking and playing games. It was unusual, sure, but it made sense. Emily and Francine were, after all, the very best of friends, and Richard and Straub could argue, talk about business, or reminisce about the old days for...days. Besides, it was the one time of year that she actually got the chance to beat her grandfathers at Scrabble at three in the morning, with witnesses. Seven witnesses.

This time, however, she had no idea how her day was going to go. It was already off to an awkward start, what with sixteen people at one table. Although, there _was_ a suspiciously conspicuous extra space.

She motioned to Logan to lean his head down so she could whisper quietly to him. He did. "Why are there seventeen spaces and only sixteen of us?"

"What?" he looked around the table. Sure enough, there was one extra setting. "Nathan, probably."

"Nathan?"

"Yeah, my-"

"Logan," Mitchum cut him off, eyes twinkling. "What are you and the young Ms. Hayden there whispering about?"

"Oh Mitchum," Shira scolded. "Leave them be, the poor dears."

"Shira, if they're going to whispering at the table, we deserve to know," Mitchum said reasonably.

"It's not school, Daddy. If they want to keep secrets, they can," Honor chimed in. Five months pregnant, she had decided that her life wasn't as spicy as it should be. Every chance she got, she'd tell Logan to do something daring, reminding him that she was 'living vicariously through him'.

"I don't think my mother has ever once called me a 'poor dear' before in my life," Logan whispered disbelievingly, ignoring the conversation around him. "Who is this person."

"Logan! She's your mother."

"No, Ace. She's an alien. I'm telling you, that is not my mother."

"If you say so."

"I _definitely _say so."

"Fine. Who is this Nathan person?"

Before he could answer, the food was brought out, and Rory's mind was diverted. "Food," she said wondrously, eyes wide.

"You're acting as if you've never eaten before in your life."

"Don't be childish."

"Says the girl who looks like she's never eaten before in her life."

"This is nothing, Logan," April said, leaning over her sister. "You should see her when she comes home for the summer. Dad jokes that they pay so much for Yale and yet his daughter still gets crappy food. Sorry to intrude on your conversation by the way. The less-than-tens are boring."

"Understandable. You're welcome to join this little bubble of ours that the adults are cooing over."

"Nah," Rory said. "I don't think Grandpa cares."

"I think he just wants to play golf," April commented.

"Which grandpa?" Logan asked curiously.

The two sisters looked at each other. "Both," they answered together.

The meal continued peacefully for the next 45 minutes, since everyone was immersed in their own conversations. Lorelai and Honor got along surprisingly well, and once April had interrupted her sister's conversation with Logan, the three had discussed a variety of topics from Obama's presidency to the last Harry Potter film.

Until, of course, the inevitable happened.

Mitchum, Richard, and Straub, in the middle of a heated (albeit good-intentioned) argument about colleges, suddenly turned to April.

"Uh, hello," she smiled uncertainly, about to put a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "How can I help you?"

"Well April," Richard started.

"We were just wondering-"

"_They _were wondering," Mitchum cut in. "Not I."

Straub glared at Mitchum. "As we were saying, April dear, we were just wondering if you had heard back from MIT yet. We know how much you're looking forward to going, and we'd like to throw a celebration in your honor."

Lorelai and Chris turned to look at Mitchum, both suddenly aware of the tense silence covering the room.

"Oh," she breathed. "Um, yeah I-uh, I-I did actually." She smiled, or tried at least. "I start fall of 2012!"

"Well, that's great, darling," Francine cut in quickly, before anyone could ask her why she was starting a year later. She could see the tight smile on her granddaughter's face and the tears gathering behind her eyes that were threatening to fall. "MIT is an amazing school. I'm lucky to have a granddaughter to be attending after she graduates from high school."

April smiled weakly. "Thanks Grams."

Francine sat back, pleased. "So, when are you free."

"She's free anytime you need her, Francine," Lorelai cut in. "I'm sure April would clear all of her plans to attend any party you'd throw for her. Right April?"

Right.

"Well," Logan said, lifting his arm from behind Rory's chair. "In lieu of this happy announcement," he turned to April and winked. "Let's open presents, shall we? I happen to know that one very-special three year old got something very, very special."

"Yay!" Will jumped up, causing the adults to laugh. "Presents."

"Yeah, Willy-Waffle," Rory said as she stood up. "Presents."

Gigi and Will ran out of the room, Lorelai and Chris following close behind. Logan and Rory started to move through the doorway together when they were stopped by April.

"Pause," she said gleefully. "Look up."

Rory sighed and looked up and, unsurprisingly, found mistletoe.

"When was that put in?" Logan pointed upward, asking his father.

"When your mother and I realized that someone would actually be able to enjoy it this year," Mitchum replied innocently. "Why, is there a problem."

Rory blushed. "No Mitchum, there isn't."

Mitchum looked at Logan expectantly. "Is there a problem, Logan?"

Logan glared. "I don't feel comfortable making Rory do something she clearly doe-mmph!"

His angry rant defending Rory's honor was cut off by Rory grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling him down for a soft, sweet kiss. He responded immediately, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her waist, while hers went around his neck.

"Well," April said dryly. "My work here is done. Gentlemen? Shall we?" she gestured toward the living room.

Richard cracked a smile, stepping forward and linking arms with his granddaughter. "I daresay we shall." He and April walked out of the room, the others following, leaving Rory and Logan alone.

Logan pulled back and looked at the spot that his father had occupied 30 seconds ago, then turned to Rory. "You didn't have to do that," he said, bright-eyed.

"I know," she smiled softly. "That's why I did."

Logan smiled and leaned in for another kiss, but Rory stopped him, putting a hand to his chest. He frowned. "What is it, Ace?"

She looked hesitant, worried about his reaction.

"Spit it out, Ace."

"It's just..." she looked down, then looked up again, a fierce look in her eyes. "What does this make us, Logan? If we do this..."

"Rory," he interrupted. The way he was looking at her made her feel as if she was completely transparent. As if he could see every worry and doubt that she had, and she _knew _that he could. That was why she lo-liked him. Cared about him. This was why she was putting her feelings out there for him to know, just like he had done the week before.

"This makes me yours," he finished softly. "And that's all I know, and that's all I care about."

She couldn't hold back her laughter. "Really, Logan, did you really just say that?"

He chuckled. "I guess I did."

"It was really cheesy."

"I know."

"I can't believe you said something that cheesy."

"I know."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but he cut her off, leaning down for another kiss. "No more talking."

Rory laughed and happily obliged.

-RL-

When the two of them walked into the living room to join everyone else fifteen minutes later, no one asked what they'd been doing. Instead, they tactfully kept away from the subject. (With the exception of April, who gave Rory suggestive looks every chance she got, inevitable making her older sister blush every thirty seconds).

"Logan!" Will ran up to him and hugged his legs. "Where's my present?"

"Will!" Lorelai said incredulously. "You just opened, like, five different presents! Come on, Kid."

"More! More! More!" he giggled happily.

"No, Willy! I want _my _present. Mommy, tell Will that I get to have _my _present from Logan first."

"Gi-"

"_Mommy!_"

"How about," Logan interrupted. "I give them both to you at the same time?"

Lorelai shot Logan a grateful look. He had a feeling that those two would be in for some major yelling later. While Lorelai was, for all intents and purposes, a "cool" mom, she knew how to discipline her children, and made sure they behaved properly every day.

Except, of course, Christmas.

"So," Rory slipped her hand into his. His heart skipped a beat, and he had to control the smile that was breaking out onto his face. "What did you get me for Christmas?"

Logan smirked, "What makes you think I got you something?"

"Because you did," she answered matter-of-factly. She pouted, sidling closer to him. Automatically, he wrapped his arm around her.

"I'm not telling you, Ace," he grinned. "It would ruin the surprise."

"Right," she stepped away. "SO! Will, Gigi, my presents to you," she walked over to the tree and started picking up presents from under the tree as she called out names. "April, Logan, the Grandparents Gilmore, the Grandparents Hayden, my parental units..." By now, she was holding a mountain of gifts in her hands. Logan crossed the room to help her, and took a single box from the bottom of the pile. His.

"Logan!" she protested. "I thought you were going to help!" 

"I did, Ace," he defended. "I made it one whole box lighter."

"Oh whatever," she grumbled. "Come get your presents or I'm dropping them on the floor."

There was a mad rush as Lorelai, Christopher, Francine, Richard, Will, and Gigi went to collect their gifts.

Logan turned to April. "You're not gonna run?"

She shrugged. "What's the point? The real gift that I'm looking forward to is the one from _you. _It's your chance to prove that you'll fit into our family."

"Oh trust me," he boasted. "I do."

"Trust me, Logan," Chris cut in. "You're going to need to prove it."

"Oh yeah?"

"_Yeah._"

"April, April, look what Rory got me!" Gigi ran up to April, an oversized Bratz doll head in her hands. The thing was in a plastic box, with hair accessories hanging on its walls. April's first thought was that it was hideous, and she was sure that that's what Rory thought, too, but then again, Gigi looked happy.

"That's great, G. You like it?"

"I love it," Gigi beamed.

"Not as much as you'll love _my _gift, Ms. Georgia Hayden." Logan scooped her up in his arms, underestimating how much she weighed. "Whoa, you're heavy."

She giggled in response.

"Fat!" Will pointed at Gigi.

"Will!" Rory slapped his hand away. "We don't say things like that to people!" 

"Okay, Rory." As sad as Will looked at that moment (being scolded by Rory was rare), it made April smile to see that Rory wasn't holding back. Plus, Will had a short bounce-back time, and within the next three minutes, he was clambering into Rory's arms.

Logan's present for Gigi turned out to be a dress-up set of Princess dresses, complete with fake earrings and matching shoes. Gigi was over the moon, going so far as to call it "her favorite gift ever", much to Chris' chagrin. April, on the other hand, was less than impressed. Until he handed her a rectangular box wrapped in none other than the movie poster for Notting Hill, April's favorite movie of all time.

She stared at him. "You didn't," she said disbelievingly.

"I did," he replied, smug. "And there's an extensive personal commentary for every. Single. One."

"Oh, my God, you did!" she screeched as she opened the box. Already she could see that it was a boxed set of Hugh Grant movies, hence the Notting Hill "wrapping paper". Before she could completely unwrap the rest of it, someone walked into the room.

"Hello fambaaa-hello everyone," he said surprised. "I...didn't know we had guests today. Please, uh, forgive my tardiness. And informal attire."

The boy had walked in wearing jeans and a sweater shirt over a long, collared button-down with a tie tucked in, car keys swinging around his index finger.

April looked up, eyes widening. She knew that voice. "Oh, my God," she glowered. "What are you doing here?"

"Wow, Hayden," he replied, just as suprised. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

"Well," Lorelai quipped. "Does anyone else feel a sense of deja vu? Or is it just me?"

-RL-

A/N: Hi! I hope you guys liked it. I'm kind of iffy on this one. If it seemed stilted and awkward, I'm sorry. I finally sat down and wrote a chapter-by-chapter outline for this story, and it's going to be 19 chapters.

**Also, check out my Tumblr.** My goal is for it to be used for you guys to send me suggestions of stories I should read, ask me questions, send me constructive criticism, ideas, flames. You can also submit little blurbs about your stories and things. I don't really know what I'm aiming for exactly. You can keep up with what I'm writing and vote on new plots I might turn into stories. I'll also be posting little chapter excerpts from TCR before I post chapters so yeah.

it's dreaminginnewyorkffnet(dot)tumblr(dot)com

think of it as my version of a LiveJournal.

**TUMBLR:** Info about a sequel, story mistakes and clarifications, ideas for a sequel that you can vote on. check it out!

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Love always,

DreamingInNewYork


	9. Christmas Day, part 2

A/N: So this is 5,000 words exact. I would have updated sooner, but I have finals this week (Math and Chem were today, everything else is today and Thursday, but no matter what I get a 3.5 so whatever).

**I made a Tumblr, its wordsaremymedium(dot)tumblr(dot)com. **For those of you that read the re-posted Chapter 8, sorry, I changed it. There's an extra Rogan kiss if you're looking for it.

To my 100th and my 125th reviewer, I will write a story for you, with whatever prompt you choose to give me, to the best of my ability. I'm really hoping that's an incentive. I don't know, is it? And, to the person that answers the trivia question correctly, I'll write you a story, too.

You guys DID vote for a sequel, so one part of the story will end slightly cliffhanger. Sequel will be anywhere from six to thirteen years later. I'll have you guys vote nearer the end of the story.

Which reference to an epic love story did I make in this chapter?

-RL-

"Goodness Lord, Lorelai._ Do _keep that mouth of yours _quiet _sometimes! It's really not _necessary _for you to make a joke out of everything," Emily berated her daughter.

"What? Mom! This is exactly how Logan and Rory met for the second time," she defended. She gestured wildly between her daughter and future son-in-law. "_That's_ kind of freaky."

"The circumstances are completely different, Lorelai, I had nothing to do with this," Emily bristled.

Lorelai stared at her mother. "I never _said_- why would you assume that-"

"Lor, not the time," Chris turned to April. "You two know each other?" he asked bewildered.

April glanced between the boy and her father nervously. She had two options. Either she could get him into trouble now and ruin Christmas, or she could hold this over his head for the rest of his life. And considering he was in the Huntzberger home on Christmas Day, and her sister was going to be a Huntzberger by _next _Christmas, the decision was fairly easy to make.

Shooting him a look that clearly said "play along or I'll hurt you", she turned to her father. "Uh, yeah Daddy. He, um, he's in my math class."

"Really? That was kind of a hostile welcoming for just a classmate."

"He uh...almost bumped into me in the parking lot." Well, that wasn't a lie exactly. It just wasn't the whole truth.

Across the room, the boy in question started coughing loudly.

"Nathaniel," Shira looked to him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Aunt Shira," he answered. "Just got something stuck in my throat."

"Aunt Shira?" Emily's ears perked up.

"Oh yes, Emily," Shira answered her unasked question. "My nephew. Nathaniel Grayson DuPont. He's Mitchum's younger sister's son. He'll be staying with us until he graduates from Chilton in June. Just registered, actually. Last week."

"That's great, isn't it Grandma?" Rory spoke up before her grandmother had a chance to. Now that she and Logan were... whatever they were, it wasn't hard to see that Emily's attention had shifted to April. And judging by the glares that her younger sister was sending Nate and Emily, and the look on Emily's face, a brewing conflict was easy to see. "Now you don't have to worry about fixing April up for the ball. I'm sure he has a friend that could escort her."

"What a wonderful idea, Rory!" Emily's face looked like a child's on Christmas morning. "And why friends? I'm sure Nathaniel would be willing to do it himself."

Oh no. That wasn't what Emily was supposed to say.

"Would you be open to that, young man?"

"I can definitely try, Ma'am," Nate bowed his head.

"What a charming young man, Shira!" Francine exclaimed. "We approve!"

"Didya hear that, Ace? They approve," Logan whispered into her hair.

Rory giggled in response. "April's not going to be happy."

Sure enough, within the next minute, April was moving as inconspicuously as possible towards the couple.

"This. Is. Not. Happening." April whispered furiously to her older sister as she slid closer. "Dammit, Ro, do you _have_ a death wish?"

"No," Rory said bravely. Her voice gave her away, though, as did the fact that she was using Logan for cover, sticking him closer to her sister. "I was just trying to make sure she didn't meddle!"

Logan snorted. "Yeah. Look how great that worked out."

"Shut up, this is all your fault," April snapped at him.

"Me?" he looked surprised. "What have I done?"

"He's _your _cousin!"

"He's not my _son, _April, it's not my fault he was born."

She growled. "Stop being such a smart-alec."

"Stop being so judgmental," he shot back.

"Okay, look," Rory interrupted. "What is the big deal? Just...find a date. And when Grandma asks, change the subject."

"Ace," Logan said slowly. "Has that ever worked before? Changing the subject, I mean."

"No," April answered. "And it's not going to start now. Grandma's not going to stop just because I say I don't like the guy."

"April, as much as I care about you," Logan started. April rolled her eyes. "No, just hear me out! As much as I care about you, Nathan's my cousin. So if you're gonna go on this 'I Hate Nate' tirade and expect me to follow, I need to know why."

She looked down. "I can't tell you," she mumbled.

"You kinda have to," Logan said, staring around the room. The whole conversation had been conducted in whispers, and so far, no one had noticed the three of them. Unfortunately, with the amount of adults in the room, they were bound to become the center of attention soon enough.

"I'm not going to say. I'll lose the advant-" she stopped suddenly. Eyes widening, she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Advantage?" Rory whispered incredulously. "Are you _blackmailing _him? April, you don't know him!"

"Yes I do," April responded heatedly, failing to notice the lack of noise surrounding her. "He's the guy that almost hit me with his car!"

Instantly, the atmosphere of the room changed. Chris, who had been wary of the boy since April's initial exclamation, was being calmed down by Lorelai. Richard and Straub called April over, and Rory was sure she heard the words "press charges".

Mitchum and Shira were on their feet, their faces displaying varying levels of anger and incredulity.

"Nathaniel, how _could_-"

"...Mercedes, really?"

"...could have been seriously injured..."

"...no consideration for others..."

"...how dare you?"

"...destroyed familial relations..."

"Who allowed to take that godforsaken car to school, anyways?"

"You never mentioned..."

"...running someone _over..._"

"We should be happy that she didn't press charges..."

"...such a reckless driver..."

"...so disappointed..."

"...grounded..."

"...taking away your license..."

"April was on the phone," Rory broke in. "I don't think Nathaniel's entirely faultless."

All eyes on her, Rory shrugged. "What? I know my sister. I've heard the story. Nate looks as if he's been wanting to defend himself while Mitchum and Shira have been yelling at him, but he hasn't. Which means either he knows he's done something wrong or he's waiting until the truth comes out and he can pretend to be a martyr. Considering he's a teenage boy is related to this one," she used her thumb to point to Logan. "I'm highly inclined to believe the latter."

Emily chimed in. "Besides, everyone makes mistakes and no one was hurt, right?" She looked to April for confirmation.

"I'm fine, Grandma."

"Well then, that's settled." At the outraged look on April's face, Emily continued. "It's not a big deal, you can both apologize and we can end the matter here."

Logan, half-smiling, leaned down to kiss her hair. She stiffened slightly, but he could see a soft smile on her face. "Nicely done, Ace," he whispered.

She shrugged again, his arm moving up and down, too. "My sister is something. She already hates him, I can tell. And she _is _the president of the debate club, of course she'd use those skills to her advantage."

"She willingly walked in front of a car that was going at speed limit in the school parking lot, and purposely ignored it, Emily. April can't do that just because she felt like shewas having a bad day. " Chris asked, eyebrows raised. "Is that it, April? You were having a bad day so everyone else who was minding the law had to bend to your will?"

"Dad-"

"Not to mention you conveniently _forgot _to mention this."

"Dad-"

"Were you planning on blackmailing him for something?"

"What skills?" Logan asked Rory, eyebrows raised. "She's not making any arguments!"

"My dad _is _a really successful lawyer."

"He's a successful lawyer because he makes good arguments."

"I really hope April doesn't choose law."

"Nathaniel should have stopped the car," Mitchum said firmly. "Whether April was on the phone or no, it doesn't matter. The pedestrian is _always _right."

"It's sweet of you to say so, Mitchum, but April isn't faultless, either," Lorelai said. She turned to her parents and her in-laws and subtly looked to the door. Emily and Richard picked up Will and Gigi and the six of them, along with Honor and Josh and a nervous-looking Shira, left the room. She then turned to Logan and Rory, but Logan mouthed "we're fine here," with a mischievous look in his eyes. She rolled her eyes, and with one last look at the furious men and teenagers, she left the room.

"Thank you!" Nathan exploded

"Oh, shut up, _Natie_," April snapped at him.

"Oh, boy," Rory buried her head in Logan's shoulder. "I can't watch this."

He looked down at her, amused. "You're cute."

She looked up, blushing. "Shut up."

"Nathaniel Grayson DuPont!" Mitchum yelled. "I have no issue yelling at you in front of everyone here."

"You already are!"

"Aprille Cecilia Hayden!"

"And so it begins," Logan murmured underneath his breath.

"And so it begins." Rory repeated.

-RL-

Back in the family room, Shira was pacing the floor, wringing her hands. "I am so disappointed in that boy. I don't even understand..."

"Oh, don't beat yourself up about it, Shira," Lorelai waved away her comments. "April is explosive. She speaks her mind, and she's not afraid to have it out with someone. Nathan, can I call him, Nathan?" she asked. Shira nodded, and Lorelai continued. "Right. So Nathan hasn't actually done anything wrong. I mean, I'd rather he have _not _almost run my daughter over with his car, but he did and that was partially her fault, and she could have moved too, minded the law, but-"

"Lorelai, you're ranting," Emily pointed out. "It's rude to rant in the presence of guests."

"What guests, Mother, we're all family here!" 

"I'm glad you still think so, after this, Lorelai," Shira said apologetically. "That boy..."

"_That boy _is just the one that my daughter is deciding to take her fears and anger out on. _I'm _the one who should be apologizing."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lorelai."

"Mom," Honor said wisely. "This could go on forever. So let's just stop, say that they both made a mistake, and think about the happier Huntzberger-Hayden couple, shall we? Did anyone else notice how cute Rory and Logan looked in there...?"

"Hoagie!" Will said happily. "I'm gonna have a brother!"

"Yes you are," Honor smiled at him. She checked her watch, and frowned. "We should get going, though. Josh and I promised we'd make it to his family's place in Westchester for Christmas dinner, and we have a long way to go. Merry Christmas you guys."

"You're leaving?"

"Sorry, Mom! We'll be back for the New Year's Party."

"Fine," Shira sighed. "If all my children are going to leave me..."

"Mother!"

"Bye, Honor."

"Bye! Bye everyone." Honor hugged them on the way out. "Have a Merry Christmas!"

After they had left and everyone had settled down, Shira looked around the room. Will and Gigi were falling asleep; Lorelai, Emily, and Francine seemed to be whispering heatedly among themselves; and Richard and Straub had long since left the room to join Elias in his study for some cigars and shop talk. Men will be men, after all.

"Lorelai, if you'd like, you could take the two of them up to an empty bedroom, they can sleep comfortably there."

"Actually," Lorelai said mid-yawn. "That is a great idea. I think I may just have a nap with them, too."

She walked over to the couch and picked up Will, in his Harry Potter garb (his gift from Logan), the glasses dangling off of his nose, then lightly shook Gigi awake. Together, the three of them walked out of the room, Shira directly behind them.

"Emily," Francine said as soon as Shira was out of earshot. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh of course! They'd make such a darling couple."

"They really would. Once they've stopped being so explosive."

"Emily! They wouldn't make quite as nice a couple if they _weren't_ as explosive."

"Francine, if they keep on going like that, then they will never _be _a couple."

"Do you think," Francine paused. "Do you think we should stay...out of this one? They seem to be somewhat...complicated."

"Heavens, no. That's half the fun, now, isn't it?"

"Well..."

"Oh, come on! We'll just put them together for the debutante ball. I told April a month ago that I'd have someone for her, and now...I do."

'You're right," Francine decided. "She's been on edge lately and she needs to loosen up. We're only doing her a favor. It's not a crime."

"Exactly."

"Exactly."

-RL-

"So...that was eventful," Rory commented.

Logan turned his head to look at her. "Not exactly the word I'd use, Rory."

The two of them had fled the living room soon after the others, having realized that this would be no ordinary fight. April and Nathan, it seemed, had both just been waiting to blow, and now seemed as good a time as any. From what April had been telling her over the past month, the little things were starting to add up, and her younger sisters' life was anything but sunshine and daisies. It was understandable, of course, she was a Junior in high school. This was the year that she was supposed to work herself to the bone and get next-to-no sleep. And while she didn't know Nathan, she figured he'd been sent here, to live with his aunt and uncle, for a reason. His life obviously wasn't as perfect as Shira made him seem. Oh well, she thought to herself. It probably wasn't something she needed to know right now.

"True, but-"

"Let's just not talk about it."

"Fine," she huffed impatiently. "Then what _do _you want to talk about?"

"I don't want to work for HPG."

Rory was taken aback. "What?"

"I want to be a reporter."

"Where did this come from?"

"In the last month and a half, writing articles for the Yale Daily has made me happier than any length of time at HPG. I like doing it. I love writing and I love human interest pieces. I love seeing my name on the byline and feeling like I've accomplished something."

"So then why are you in an MBA program?"

"I'm still the heir," he reminded her. "My dad wants me to do it, so I am. Besides, it can't hurt, can it? I mean, I'm not _opposed_ to running HPG. I think, well, I know I'd rather just do something that I love. It makes more sense to me, you know? If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life."

"That was very, very deep."

"Oh yeah?" he asked

"Yeah," she said.

They were quiet for a few moments, watching the snow fall, until Rory turned to him suddenly. "Good things happen when it snows."

He looked at her. "What?"

"My mom. She says good things happen when it snows."

"And has the theory been proven."

"We," her eyes flickered to his lips. "Could prove it right now."

"Could we now?" he asked huskily.

"Yeah," she breathed.

Their eyes met, and they started leaning in. She could feel his gaze flicker from her eyes to her lips, and they were leaning, leaning, leaning-

"Dinner's ready!" April slid the door open. "Oh," she gathered her surroundings. "I'm interrupting."

"NO," Rory smiled awkwardly. "We were just coming inside."

April smirked at her sister as Rory passed her on the way in. She looked at Logan, a mixture of curiosity, incredulity, and amusement on her face. "Coming inside, huh? Is that what you kids call it these days?"

"Shut up, _Cecilia_." he mocked.

"You know what, Hoagie? At least people can call me _Cecilia _in public."

"Yeah. But at least my grandmothers aren't planning my wedding to someone I hate."

And even she couldn't argue with that.

-RL-

"Lorelai," Chris whispered. "I don't like the way he's looking at her."

"Who is looking at _who, _Chris?" Lorelai asked exasperatedly. "Your son is not eating his food, and since you are busy glaring at your daughters and the boys who are physically closest to them, it's my job to feed him. And make sure he doesn't throw mashed potatoes everywhere. So if you could just get over the fact that Logan keeps whispering things in Rory's ear and she hasn't stopped blushing, and that April and Nathan look as if they are going to either kill each other or...kill each other, and accept the fact that this is a twelve person table and there are seventeen of us here, so naturally people's elbows and arms are going to touch and brush, and _naturally _as the father of two grown girls you're going to think it's suspicious, then I think we'll be alright."

He stared at her. "But what if they _don't _want to kill each other? What if they want to do other stuff?" he mumbled.

"Chris, honey," Lorelai leaned over to kiss his cheek. "They're not going to do that. Because April hates him. Because he almost ran over her with his _car_."

"Rory hated Logan when they first met!"

"And April and Rory are very, very different. And, except for the fact that she's going to be valedictorian, April does _everything _she can to not be Rory. Besides, Logan and Rory are getting married. Our mothers are planning the wedding."

"_Our mothers_ are planning something for April and Nathaniel."

"_Our mothers_ know better than that."

"_Our mothers_ think they might be helping!"

"_Our mothers_ are not stupid enough to try anything."

"Can we stop with the parallelism?"

"I thought it was fun. But as you wish."

"Lor."

"Trust me when I say nothing's going to happen."

He sighed. "I still don't like this."

"What's not to like? Will, no!" Lorelai exclaimed as Will slid mashed potatoes off his plate and onto the tablecloth. He then happily leaned over the table to reach his glass of water, (because he was a big boy and didn't _need _a sippy cup)

"Mama! I want more mashed potatoes!"

"No, Gigi," Lorelai said strictly. "Will, eat some vegetables."

Next to Will, Gigi wrinkled her nose. "Feed them to the dog, Willy. I bet he'd eat them."

"Hey, G," Chris leaned over and turned his head to look at her. "Wanna know a secret?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"What, Daddy?" she asked excitedly.

"The Huntzberger's don't _have _a dog."

"No dog?" Will and Gigi exclaimed, eyes wide, their mouths forming perfect circles

"No dog," Lorelai repeated. Seeing Will's open mouth, she quickly stabbed a piece of broccoli with her fork and put it in. She turned to her husband. "Thank you!"

He shrugged. "Team effort, right?"

"Mmph!" Will mumbled, bits of broccoli falling out of his mouth.

"Eat it," she commanded, pointing the fork at him. "Mouth closed."

"Uh, Lor," Chris murmured, staring pointedly at the fork.

"Oh!" she noticed the prongs pointed at her son, and rotated the fork. "Eat."

"Mama, let's buy the Huntzberger's a dog!" Gigi suggested.

Lorelai turned to Chris. "Why did we decide to have two more?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "She was an accident."

"And Broccoli Boy?"

"He... how _did _that happen?" he asked.

"Hm..." Eyes widening in recognition, she turned to him. "Business trip."

"Business trip?"

"California. Four years ago."

"Oh. Best welcome back I've _ever _received."

-RL-

"You know," Logan whispered. "We could always just leave."

"Logan!" Rory blushed. "No we can't."

"Why not, Ace? Come on, dinner's almost over, we've given everyone their presents-"

"Hey, you haven't given me mine yet," she reminded him.

He smirked. "So let's leave and I can give it to you."

She thought for a second, obviously making a pro-con list in her head. Leaving a stuffy dinner, spending alone time with Logan, and getting her Christmas gift, or staying. "I'm not leaving, Logan."

"I'm not sure those pro-con lists of yours work, Ace."

"Hush, you."

"This is boring." he whined. "Your siblings, as cute as they are, are eating; your parents are flirting; April and Nate are glaring; and the other adults are planning the rest of our lives. Let's just go somewhere and be _us._ Right now."

"How about...we stay here now, and I'm all yours on New Year's."

"Deal," he accepted immediately. "Wait," he realized. "You're mine on New Years, _anyways. _Ace. That's not fair."

"I think we need to establish some ground rules. In this relationship, I own you. Ergo, nothing is fair. I will always win."

"You own me?" he repeated in disbelief. "No one owns me."

"I do. I own you. You have to get me coffee in the mornings, _absolutely no decaf,_ and be around to save me from my grandparents, and when one of our kids starts crying in the middle of the night _you _can wake up, and- oh." She stopped suddenly, turning pale. They hadn't talked about this. From the look on his face, he hadn't _thought _about this.

Logan froze. Kids. That was a foreign though. Rory, marriage, living together, kids. It was all a foreign concept, something that he had kept locked away in the back of his mind somewhere. he knew it would happen, sure, but not now. They weren't even married yet, they hadn't said I love you" yet. As much as he liked Rory, there was still so much to know about her. Did she leave the toothpaste cap on? Did she sleep on the left side of the bed, or the right side? Was she into creepy, sparkly vampire men whose girlfriends tried to kill themselves when they weren't around? All of this was fine, the laughing, handholding, the kissing. Oh God, the kissing. He hadn't had kisses that made him feel so good in...ever.

But kids. Kissing led to kids. Kissing led to making out which led to sex which led to kids. And the family wanted kids. Obviously the family wanted kids, what with arranging a marriage and having him spend time with Will and Gigi. But he was sick of doing what his family wanted. Unless he really wanted kids. Kids with Rory. Did he want kids with Rory? What if he was a screw up dad? He'd had a conversation with Honor about having kids and being a good father, but that was all hypothetical. He'd never had to think about with his fiancée sitting right next to him, irresistibly blue eyes wide, talking about how he'd have to get up in the middle of the night to change a diaper.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

"No, Ace," he smiled slightly. "We'll have to talk about it, right? Eventually."

"Okay. We'll talk about it."

"Just not now?"

"Not now."

"Everyone," Mitchum interrupted their now-stifled conversation. He took his glass and raised it, the red wine contrasting against the white walls. "A toast, to Rory and Logan."

They all raised their wine glasses, save Will, who just took his glass of milk and drank it. Mitchum laughed, and then continued. "I'd like to say, to Rory especially, thank you for becoming a part of our family. It must not have been easy, to keep your temper when you found out about this arranged marriage, but, and this is on behalf of us all, really," he motioned to his wife, the Haydens, and the Gilmores. "We do appreciate it. And you two make a very nice couple."

"Now," Richard continued. "We would like to not only express our reasons, but also show our gratitude."

"Wait," Rory interrupted. "You're going to tell us why?" She looked to her mother, and Lorelai winked.

"Of course we are," Richard answered, taken by surprise. "You may not agree, but it was for your happiness."

"You see, at the beginning of this year, Huntzberger Publishing had a lawsuit. We would have lost quite a bit of money if I hadn't been put in touch with Straub Hayden when I was. It's because of him, really, that we're able to be here, in this home, worry-free. And I didn't know how to repay him."

"We invited the Haydens over to dinner," Shira continued. "They started talking about you, Rory, and April, Will, and Gigi. When we found out that you attended Yale with Logan, we just had to meet you."

"And then the fire struck the pool house. After that, Richard came, and his firm insured the house. We decided then that it would be better to also use his firm to insure HPG employees, not only against libel, but also for life insurance policies."

"My firm handles different things," Richard said. "When we realized how interconnected we were, we started meeting regularly."

"The two of you started popping up in conversation quite a bit," Emily beamed. "We realized how much you had in common. Also, you were both single, and even though you're 23, Rory, you've never been completely satisfied when you were in a relationship. We thought of setting you up."

"They mentioned it briefly to us," Lorelai cut in, motioning to Chris and herself. "We knew they'd make you guys meet, we just didn't know that it was for...an arranged marriage."

"Honestly, it was for your best intentions," Emily tried to explain. "We didn't mean to hurt you. But we knew neither of you had anyone in your lives, and you'd get along so well."

"Plus, this way we knew that neither of you would get hurt. We wouldn't have to worry about who was coming in our families, or whether your significant other would try to exploit you for your wealth."

"I'm sorry, you...weren't using us for business purposes? You guys get _nothing _out of this?"

"Except familial ties? No." Richard answered.

"And honestly, Logan, I'm a bit tired of having to tell Lauren Fallon that her daughter isn't good enough for this family, even when you come to parties with the blondest bimbos you can find on your arm," Shira confessed. "It makes me feel like a fool."

"Wow." Rory took a deep breath. "So it's not because you don't trust me?"

"What?" Francine looked shocked. "No, Rory dear. Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"This is completely for your benefit, Rory." Straub said. "Logan is almost your polar opposite. We knew he'd appeal to you, and he _definitely _appealed to us. And, we didn't want you to be engaged until _after _you'd met. We waited until Thanksgiving to make it official, if you remember."

"Wait, so...I could have objected?" Logan asked incredulously.

Rory turned to him. "Why would _you _want to reject?"

"Why would you?"

"Good point. But still," she turned back to her grandparents. "We could have objected? I didn't know that!"

"If you really wanted to, you would have." April had been silent until now, watching the whole exchange. "I think the grandparents knew that. On some level, you were okay with this."

"I...yeah. This is just...it's a lot to process."

"We have one more piece of news for you," Mitchum continued. "Nathaniel, sit down."

Nate had also been silent during the discussion, something that, Rory assumed, must have been relatively new to him. He had been trying to sneak out of the dining room while everyone's attention was on Rory and Logan, but Mitchum apparently had eyes in the back of his head. Resigned, he sat back down.

"Now, both of you are graduating this June. Rory, have you put any thought into what you want to do after that?"

"I'm applying for open spots at some newspapers. I haven't heard back yet, but I'm hoping. Fingers crossed, right?"

"What if I told you I could do better."

"Define better," Logan asked suspiciously.

"The New York Times," Richard grinned. "It's what you've both wanted, right?"

"The Times?" Rory gasped. "Grandpa, no!"

"No? Rory, you've wanted this."

"Yeah, Ace, you've wanted this for a long time."

She had. She'd wanted it since she was six, and her father had told her how great New York was, and how revered the Times was. Working at the New York Times had been her goal since she started at Chilton, it was why she put up with Doyle and Paris at the Yale Daily, why she had secretly applied to Columbia's School of Journalism. She was aiming for the DuPont-Columbia award...wait a second. DuPont. Nathaniel. _Mitchum. _

"Not with nepotism! I don't want this because of my name."

"I assure you, Rory, nothing about your plans in New York is going to be due to nepotism. _Everything _you earn will be because you've earned it."

Mitchum _knew_. It was the way he said 'everything'.

"Everything?" Logan asked. "Are you paying for housing, too?"

"Well, yes. If you'd let us," Emily said. "It'll be your wedding gift, on behalf of Richard and myself."

"You want us to move to New York?"

"We assumed that you would want to move to New York, yes."

"New York is close, Rory," Lorelai said. "You can come home whenever you want."

"_Please _come home." Chris said. "Please."

Rory laughed, but the pit of dread in her stomach was only growing. "No nepotism?"

Mitchum shook his head. "No. You've both earned this chance because I sent in your applications. If you had sent them in yourself, you'd still have been chosen."

"This sounds too good to be true," Rory said.

"That's because it probably is, Ace. What's the catch?"

"You have to become Editor-In-Chief of the Yale Daily News. Under the circumstances, that has become a prerequisite."

Easy. She had already told Paris that she would apply, and a depressed Paris would be unable to write as good as she normally did. If Rory tried hard enough, her article would be above-the-fold worthy, and she'd be a shoe-on for Editor-In-Chief.

"Hey, Dad," Logan spoke. "There's only one Editor-In-Chief spot."

Rory froze, that feeling of dread returning.

Mitchum looked uncomfortable. "Well. That's because only one of you gets the job."

Damn.

-RL-

A/N: The Jerk in the Merc is back, as per demand. I fixed his and April's story so that TCR stays more Rogan than anything else. I'm also trying to get in some BalconyBuddy in there, just 'cause.

Listen to Stereo Love by Edward Maya

**Tumblr: 1. **Random pics that I love and so am re-blogging.

2. Rants that may or not be personal, only until my best friend gives me my Tumblr password back.

3. Clarifications on this story, a Submit page to publicize your own story, Ask page to ask me questions, a Sneak Peek page where I'll put up excerpts of this story before I post.

4. Story recommendations, fanfic and otherwise. I've already recommended some HPFF and published books, so, if you're interested, there's that.

5. I'm hoping for it to be a little bit of everything, if anyone's interested, we can get a whole bunch of people and start awards or something. I don't know.

REVIEW! (:


	10. New Years' Eve

NOTE: for the past few months, I'd been incredibly depressed. There was a lot of stress in my life, and there was a combination of family/friendship/grades/love-life issues and overall, it was pretty overwhelming. I had numerous meltdowns, and I was borderline suicidal. I didn't tell anyone anything, and kept mainly to myself. This is putting it mildly. The only thing that made me happy was my writing, and I am so incredibly glad you all reviewed for chapter 6-9 because they kept me going.

That said, let me clarify: I am not saying this for sympathy. I am saying this because I know what it's like to think that killing yourself is a better option than living, but _**IT IS NOT. **_

If anyone reading this is even a little bit sad today, just know that it WILL get better. Someone cares about you, loves you, and appreciates the space you take up in their life. Your friends, your families, the readers of your stories, and the writers of the stories you review. No matter whom you are, what you do, you matter.

If anyone is suicidal or bipolar or depressed, please PLEASE find someone to talk to. I know how good it feels to let it all out. It's a feeling of freedom like no other.

a/n: this chapter is shorter than previous ones, its 3500 words roughly. I have my story outline now, and while I do add some things, my chapters stay pretty close to what I have planned out, so I'm not adding random things to lengthen chapters.

REVIEW!(:

Logan winced as Rory stepped on his toes for the third time that night.

"Sorry, I am so sorry," she apologized hastily upon seeing the look of pain on his face.

He shook his head. "Ace, it's okay."

She looked down again, watching his feet with intense concentration, making sure to follow at the right time so she wouldn't step on his toes again. Unfortunately, she still hadn't memorized the steps, and since she couldn't predict how his feet were going to move, she gave up and rested her head on his chest instead. Logan took the hint, stopping the waltz and just swaying in place.

If she wasn't so deep in thought, she'd laugh at the fact that she and Logan were doing the watered-down, high school version of dancing.

It was New Year's Eve, and the three families, along with most of Hartford society, were at the Gilmore residence for their annual New Years party. For the first time, Logan and Rory would be ringing in the New Year together.

More importantly, they'd be announcing their engagement to everyone tonight. Rory wasn't sure she was ready to announce it to the public; she wasn't even sure if she wanted to _stay _in the relationship, what with the added complication of the Times deal.

Then again, she was in Logan's arms right now, and she wasn't sure she'd ever want to leave.

"You know," he said into her ear. "It's okay for us not to dance. You're a Gilmore Girl. Everyone knows you guys don't do coordination."

"Logan!" She lifted her head, blues eyes fiery. "Gilmore Girls can do anything we _want _to do."

He grinned. "Which would explain why my toes are going to be sore tomorrow?"

"I can't do anything about the fact that _you _don't know how to dance," she protested stubbornly. "I'm sorry, that simply can't be helped."

Logan looked as if he was about to protest, but then changed his mind, rolling his eyes. "If you say so, Ace. If you say so."

"I do. I own you, remember?"

He did. Logan was pretty sure he couldn't forget that brief conversation with her even if he wanted to. As it turned out, he didn't want to. He had gone home, taken out a beer, and mindlessly watched television for hours, eventually ending up watching The Cosby Show. Sometime around 3 AM, he had started seeing himself and Rory with three or four children, instead of the Huxtables and however many _their _brood consisted of.

In the past week and a half, his mind and his heart had warmed to the idea. Obviously, he wasn't ready to have kids now, or in the next nine months, even, but he was sure that when the time came, in three or four years, he'd be extremely excited to become a father. A boy and two girls, maybe. Or two boys and a girl. She'd be Daddy's little princess, he decided. He'd be there for all of them, the way his dad had tried to be there for him.

Only difference was, he'd be in love with his wife.

Now, all he had to do was tell her. But the last time he had, it hadn't ended well, and he and Rory hadn't seen each other for a week and a half.

Of course, they had ended up officially becoming a couple...

The future seemed really awesome.

Then again, there was the Times deal. They'd probably have to talk about that, too, soon.

"Logan?" Rory waved her hand in front of his face. "You zoned out on me, and then started smiling like Mom does when she gets her first cup of coffee after not sleeping as much as she'd liked."

He struggled to find an excuse. "I just really like the song, that's all."

Rory looked at him curiously. "Really?"

The song playing was Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer. And he wasn't lying, it was one of his favorites. Honor had played it after it had come out, when he was twelve and she was fourteen. She'd had a massive crush on a boy whose name he didn't remember, and she had dreamt up a fantasy to go with the song. In hindsight, he realized it was probably something like the Taylor Swift music video that April had shown him and laughed it.

Damn. He had actually liked that Taylor Swift song.

But anyways, all those years later, remembering Honor in all her teenage-love glory gave him a good feeling. A nostalgia that he associated with the song.

"Yeah," he answered his fiancé. "After all, it's telling me to kiss you."

She laughed as he lowered his lips to hers, but stopped him when he was almost an inch away. "Logan, people will see."

Rory always protested when Logan tried to kiss her in public, but truth was, she loved it. Because Logan was the type of guy who did it because he _wanted_ to, not because he had to. Despite the fact that they were arranged to be married, and hadn't fallen in love beforehand, she had no doubt that all of what he had done, for Gigi and Will, even April, and definitely for herself, too, was all because he wanted to.

And she lov- really, really liked him for it.

Maybe even to the point of slipping in the possibility of future children just to see his reaction. You could say it was a test, but Logan had passed.

"Aw come on, Ace. Live a little. Besides, you're my fiancé. This isn't _scandalous_."

She smiled. "No one knows yet," and then pushed him back a few feet.

"Yet," he looked back. "Why am I moving back?"

"I have my reasons."

"Ah, a woman of mystery. I like that." He stopped moving and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I figured out your plan."

"Oh did you?"

"I did."

He leaned down to kiss her again, but she stopped him again. "What are you doing?"

"Look up."

Ah, mistletoe. What a wonderful, wonderful thing.

"They're growing up, Lor," Chris said.

"Chris," she looked at him. "That can't honestly come as a surprise to you."

"Hey," he defended. "It's not my fault. I'm just feeling overly nostalgic."

Lorelai laughed. "It's the song, isn't it?"

"I hate this song."

"You loved it when we were watching the movie."

"Of course I did! Our daughters thought the song was romantic and said that it was _okay _for me to kiss you _with them around_ since the song said so and Freddie Prinze, Jr., was on the screen!"

"So if our daughters _hadn't _said it was okay, you _wouldn't _have kissed me?"

"We ended up with two more kids, didn't we Lor?"

"Well if that was you doing me a _favor-_"

"I didn't even want to see the movie," he exploded frustratedly. "And now all I think about is watching the movie with you and getting irritated when you were gushing over Freddie Prinze, Jr., two little girls on my lap, thankfully asleep."

"We were really lucky they only saw the ending."

"They have an emotional attachment to this song."

"Oh how I miss those days."

"We aren't two twenty-eight year olds with two little girls anymore."

"No," Lorelai replied. "We're two thirty-nine year olds with two under-tens."

"And two older girls who are growing up way too fast for us to stop them."

"We _can't _stop them, Chris. It's impossible. Growing up is a part of life."

"Do you see that?" Chris pointed to the middle of the room, where April and Nate were dancing on the dance floor. To Chris, they were dancing too close for comfort. Lorelai, on the other hand, could see a fire in her daughter's eyes, and, judging by the look on Nate's face, the two were not on friendly terms. Rather, they were so involved in their own argument, so intent on not being overheard, that they had ended up dancing so close together. "I have to go break them apart."

"They're fighting, Chris."

"I don't believe you."

"April thinks that Nate is an unprivileged teenage boy who is too cocky for his own good."

"So do I."

"They're always fighting."

"Finally a boy that my daughter talks to that I don't have to worry about."

"She hates boys who act like Nathan."

"At least I don't have to worry about your liking him."

"Of course you have to worry about it! Rory and Logan started out fighting. And now look at them. I fully approve of Nathaniel."

"Rory and Logan were arranged to be married."

"_Are _arranged to be married," his wife corrected. She pointed again at the dance floor, this time to Rory and Logan. Rory's smile was a mile wide, and Logan seemed to be smirking, a mischievous look in his eyes. He leaned down to kiss her, but Rory put her hand up to stop him, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Our daughter is getting married."

"God," Chris groaned. "Our daughter's getting married. I am not ready for this."

"Wait a second," Lorelai had an epiphany. "We're three years away from being called 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa'."

Chris turned to look at his wife, a look of horror on his face. "Take it back. Now."

Lorelai flagged down a waiter, waving her arm enthusiastically. "We need some champagne, stat."

The waiter looked bemused. "Knock yourself out."

She turned back to Chris. "Was it just me or did he seem...standoffish?"

"Definitely standoffish," Chris agreed.

"The nerve of these people," Lorelai said, her blue eyes twinkling. "All I did was ask for some champagne."

"Lor," Chris took the champagne from her and took a big gulp, downing half the flute. "I think I'm going to need something stronger."

Unfortunately, their attempts to get to the bar were made in vain. Emily met up with them halfway across the room, and proceeded to force them to mingle. For the next hour, Lorelai and Chris made faces at each other as discreetly as they could over the heads of their mothers' friend. It wasn't until five minutes before midnight that it stuck Lorelai:

Chris wouldn't get to have any more scotch that year.

**Halfway across the room, in the middle of the dance floor, April and Nate, five minutes ago:**

"You know," Nate bent down to whisper in April's ear. "People are commenting on how cute of a couple we are."

She stomped on his foot in response, digging her heel into his toe. "Shut up, sleazebag," she said sweetly, pressing his cheek against her. On the outside, it looked as if April was adding fuel to the fire, and the amount of whispering and pointing at them grew. To Nate, however, it was a completely different story. He wouldn't be surprised if his toes were broken.

He winced. "That hurt."

"That was kind of the point."

"You're cute when you're mad."

"You're cute _never._"

"April," he sighed. "Honestly, I don't get it. Why do we have such a strained relationship?"

"We don't _have _a relationship, DuPont," she said matter-of-factly. She wasn't going out of her way to harm him, merely stating (what she thought was) a fact. "My sister is marrying your cousin brother. We go to the same school, have the same extended family, and you tried to run me over with your car. End of story."

Nate's grip on her waist tightened, and her skin burned. He pulled her closer eyes darkening in anger. She glared in response.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

She scoffed. "Let's recap, shall we? You drive a brand-new _Mercedes _to school, exceed the speed limit, brake _less than an inch away_ from a pedestrian, proceed to _flirt with_ said pedestrian, and expect her to fall at your feet swooning just because you flash her a sexy smile and stare down at her with emerald eyes? I don't think so."

"You think I have a sexy smile?" he smirked.

She ignored him. "You don't get to make a horrible first impression and then decide that we're in one of those cliché teen movies where the two main characters have a love/hate relationship. 10 Things I Hate About You was a movie. This isn't 'She's All That'. Just because the song Kiss Me is playing in the background, doesn't mean this is the scene before the credits role where the guy and the girl kiss and fireworks explode. Real life doesn't work that way. Get out of your dream world, Nathaniel, it's more than a little pathetic."

Instantly he let go of her, smile falling quickly. His gaze hardened, and for a second, she felt a stab of guilt. It ended as quickly as it came, though, and she matched his glare with one of her own. "You don't get to just pretend we have a love/hate relationship, Nate," she said, her tone softer.

"Pathetic. You think I'm pathetic," he laughed mirthlessly. It wasn't a question, and, even though the answer was 'no', she didn't say anything and looked down instead. "I guess asking for a New Years' Kiss is out of the question now, right?"

April looked up sharply. "What?"

"I can't believe I actually thought you were interesting enough to ask out." he shook his head.

"Nate-"

"My mistake," he said, letting out a short breath of air. "Anyways never mind. I'm going to go find one of the bimbos you seem to think I always have around, and then I will go sleep with her. Because that is what I do, right?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"It doesn't matter, April," he brushed her off. "Because it's what you said."

This has gone so horribly, horribly wrong, April thought. He wasn't supposed to overreact like this. Maybe just stop flirting with her.

Nate didn't wait for an answer; instead, he pushed past April, not looking back.

Surprised by this turn of events, April took a deep breath, and then turned to look in the direction Nate left in. If looks could kill, Nathaniel Grayson DuPont would have gone to hell and back at least thirty times in the last fifteen seconds.

"Asshole," she muttered, before stalking off to find one of her friends.

"Oh dear," Shira said to Emily. "That didn't go so well."

"No," Emily shook her head, expression full of worry. "It didn't go well at all."

"I should probably go look for Nathaniel. He's not normally that rude."

"I don't doubt it," Francine said. "And maybe you should."

Shira left in search of her nephew, but Francine turned to Emily. "Maybe we should hold off on April and Nathaniel. Even Rory and Logan weren't that bad."

Emily sighed. "Perhaps it may be best."

"So you applied to Columbia?" Serena asked Rory.

Rory nodded in response. "Yes I did."

"And you have a job opening at the New York Times."

"Which I am currently fighting my fiancé for, yes."

"I...wow."

"That's all you have to say? In all the years I've known you, you always have something to say."

And it was true. Serena and Rory had known each other since they were five, starting kindergarten. Serena and her family had just moved over to Hartford from England, where her father and grandfather had expanded their fortunes heavily. While they had been thought of as nouveau-riche, that thought had been quickly dispelled when Serena's family had made it known that they had come from one of the most powerful families in India.

Serena hadn't cared.

She had been the one who, in high school, had gone out of her way to find someone who wasn't part of their social circle. Rather than make Society happy, the way others their age were prone to do, Serena went out of her way to live her life her way.

And that was precisely the reason why they knew each other so well. Neither of them wanted to live their lives for the benefit of Society. Serena was a firm believer in 'say what you need to say, do what you need to do.' And yet, she also didn't judge Rory for not breaking away from Society completely. Because what Chris had said was right. She wasn't a snob, not really. But she had been raised with a few certain comforts, ideas, and mannerisms, and those were hard to break from.

Serena was, apart from her family, the only one who would truly understand why she was _with _Logan. Because it was easy.

But maybe it wouldn't be easy anymore, not with the Times deal.

"You're thinking of running," Serena decided. "Which is stupid."

"I am not," Rory protested. "I am just...not liking this hurdle."

"Really?" Serena asked.

"It's just...we were _put _together, you know? How do you know we would have worked out if we weren't? I mean-"

"Rory," Serena interrupted. "This is the part where I tell you how stupid you're being. So here it is: You're being stupid."

"No, Serena, listen-"

"No, Rory. _You _listen. Do you see that boy over there?" she pointed to Logan, who was deep in discussion with his father, Richard, and another elderly male in a suit she didn't recognize. Logan looked up at that moment, winked, and went back into the conversation.

Rory nodded. "I see him."

"He loves you," Serena said. Rory started to protest again, but she cut her friend off. "Look, dude, I don't know what it is about you, but you like to run. You hate when things are easy, but you run when they get hard. I don't understand it, nor do I want to. But that man over there, he is _fine, _okay? And if there were any Indian boys as good looking as that, then I would not be complaining, just saying. Anyways, Logan will not have an infinite amount of patience, okay? But he loves you and he will stick around for a long time as long as you don't push him away."

"We're together, yeah, but he doesn't _love _me. Besides, there _are _Indian boys that good-looking. Or have you forgotten your fiancé?"

"Jai is a different story. My point is, arranged marriages are kinda tough. I mean, I was lucky that I fell in love with a parent-approved choice, but whatever. It was my decision. Being with Logan is yours, and you shouldn't try to rebel against it just because it wasn't the Powers That Be or whatever that got you guys together rather than your grandmother. I know you. You're only fighting this because he's Society and he's a Huntzberger and it's all your grandmother's doing and you're fighting him for the Times. But Ro, eventually you have to stop running. And you know that if you run from this, you're going to hate yourself for it."

"What if it doesn't work out? We're going to be together for the rest of our lives."

"It _will _work out, stop worry-oh!" Serena was pushed aside by Nate, who put his hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked at Rory. "You're sister is a _bitch._"

And then he walked off.

"Whoa," Serena's gaze followed Nate. "That was weird."

"Not really," Rory sighed. "My sister kind of hates him."

"I've never heard April being called a bitch before."

"Yeah, well. They'll figure it out."

"Just like you and Logan will figure out the Times deal, okay? You guys just need to talk about it."

"Talk about it _when_? We're going to celebrate the first New Years' of our relationship with this _thing _hovering over our heads."

Serena looked at Rory as if the answer was obvious. "You have enough time before 2011. Go talk to him now."

Rory checked her watch. "It's eleven oh five."

"You have fifty minutes," Serena started. Rory started to back away slowly, a smile forming on her face. "Your time starts...NOW."

"Hey," Rory slipped her arm around Logan's waist, greeting him. She addressed the men he was talking to. "Gentlemen," she greeted. "Is it okay for me to steal Logan for a moment? I promise we'll be quick."

"Oh, of course, Rory," Richard said. "He's all yours."

"So we'll be quick, huh?" Logan winked at her as they walked away. "I hope not."

"Logan," she said seriously. "We need to talk about the Times deal."

He sighed. "Now?"

"Now."

"Fine."

He led her quietly past the kitchen to the back staircase. They didn't notice Emily or Lorelai's eyes on them, but then again, neither did anyone else in the room.

"It's only 11 o'clock, Mom," Lorelai placated her mother upon seeing the look on Emily's face.

"They'll be back by midnight. It won't take them THAT long."

"What are you implying, Lorelai?" Emily snapped. "Logan and Rory simply went upstairs to talk."

Lorelai stared at her mother. "I know," she said slowly. "I doubt they're at the stage where they-"

"Lorelai!" Chris cut her off. "I'd really rather not think of Rory doing that..."

Lorelai shrugged, laughing. "As you wish."

a/n: to iwannabegilmore, i offered to write my 100th and 125th reviewer a one-shot. do you want it? you were #100.

in physics, i now sit next to the guy i liked in the seventh grade (i'm not in the eleventh). it's kind of awkward because my best friend won't stop reminding me, and keeps looking over at me and him from the other side of the room to laugh at me.

The Mary-Kate and Ashley movie Winning London gives a pretty false description of Model UN.


	11. Goodbye, 2010

a/n: I am so overwhelmed by the response for the last chapter. thanks for your support guys!

I'm sixteen and I've never been kissed (there's only one guy i'd ever kiss and he's..,well that's a long story) so if any of the kissing scenes in here seem weird, please let me know.

God sent me a sign saying that I don't have a boyfriend right now because I have bad taste in guys...

anyways. My goal for the four stories I have planned out (Rory, April, Gigi, Will), is to take a cliché plot and change it up a bit (the way I've done here). What do you guys think? 

I was GOING to wait until I got 120 reviews, but I figured 14 reviews for a chapter was good enough and I shouldn't be greedy and I really, really wanted to post this.

It's been finished for a whole TWO DAYS.

FYI, I changed my penname from DreamingInNewYork to The-Passionate-Sun.

enjoy!

REVIEW!(:

-RL-

**Logan's childhood bedroom. 11:15 PM. Dec 31st, 2010. **

"Logan," Rory moaned in between kisses. "Stop. We need to stop."

He kissed her deeply, and she struggled to push him off. His hold on her waist only tightened. "Ace," he whispered. "Stop talking."

"Stop_ not _talk_-_"

He cut her off again, capturing her lips in another kiss. When they broke apart, she spoke breathlessly. "Okay, we really do need to talk."

"Rory," he looked around the room. "We are upstairs, alone, after not having seen each other for a week. I'd really love to take this time to welcome my fiancé to my childhood bedroom, without any interruptions. And I can't do that if you keep pushing me away every thirty seconds."

She took in his appearance, blonde hair mussed, slightly swollen red lips twisted into his signature smirk, tie undone, and shirt untucked. All her doing. It took every ounce of self-control for her to not just grab his tie and crush her lips to his.

But she couldn't.

"I haven't seen you since Christmas Day," he continued, not realizing the thoughts going through her mind. If he had, then he wouldn't have still been talking. "I get that the Times deal will pose a bit of a problem, but I haven't seen you in a week and I miss you and God, you pushing me away just makes me want to kiss you more."

Screw talking, she decided. She grabbed his tie and pressed her lips to hers.

That was how April found them ten minutes later, with her hand on his bare chest (his shirt and suit jacket had been dropped to the floor carelessly minutes before), and his hands in her hair, completely ruining the hours of work it had taken to perfectly style it.

"Oh, my God," April exclaimed, turning back towards the door, one hand on the doorknob, the other covering her eyes. "Shit, shit shit shit shit _shit._"

Instantly they broke apart. Logan reached down to pick up his shirt, and slipped it on and buttoned it nonchalantly, while Rory blushed deeply and ran her hands through her hair in a lame attempt to make it presentable.

"April," Logan glowered. "Can you _knock _next time?"

"Sure, sure," she lifted her hand from the doorknob and waved it in his general direction. "Wouldn't want to interrupt anyone else's New Years' celebrations." 

"It would be appreciated."

"Duly noted."

"What is it with you and interrupting us, anyways? It's like every time I get near your sister, you get in the way. That's not cool. I can blacklist you for that."

April removed her hand from her eyes and turned to face her future brother-in-law. "Dude. How about you just lock the door the next time?"

Logan flushed. "Or I can do that," he conceded stiffly.

"Awesome," April replied sarcastically. "You know, it's funny because I just spent like fifteen minutes convincing our families that you guys weren't up here doing _exactly _what you were doing. But that's exactly what you were doing. _It._"

"You know Ace, for all the maturity your sister possesses, she clearly lacks it in one area."

Rory laughed despite her embarrassment, and April stuck her tongue out.

"Whatever, I'm leaving," she turned to go. "Have fun. And don't be too loud." She pulled the door open again, and walked out, carefully shutting it behind her so as to not make any noise.

"So, where were we?" Logan lowered his head to Rory's again.

"Right about here," she whispered, less than an inch away from his face.

The door slammed open again. "Oh I forgot to- are you kidding me?" April was back. "I'm not even gone for a minute and you're already at it again."

This time Rory sighed impatiently. "April, I understand that you and I are close, but why. Are. You. Here?"

April smiled sheepishly. "Oh. I wanted to know if either of you has seen Nate. We had an argument earlier, and I said some things I'm not proud of. He walked off and I haven't seen him since."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Nathan walked away from a fight?"

"Yeah, I...well, yeah." She averted her gaze.

He took the hint and broached another subject instead. "Why were you up here looking for him?"

"Well he's not downstairs, I checked. I figured he may want to be alone so he'd be in his room up here."

"I saw him," Rory said. "I was talking to Serena and he came up to us, said you were a bitch and then walked off again. Any idea what that was all about?" 

Shit.

April did not want to be explaining this to her sister. On the one hand, she was complaining about the lack of romance in her life, and on the other, she was acting less than civil (nowhere close to civil, really) with the one guy that was showing interest.

"I'll explain later," she promised hastily, already backing away towards the door. "Just, you know," she waved her arm at them. "Get back to...that. Have fun. Bye."

She left again, and Logan quickly walked over to the door and locked it, only to turn around to find Rory fixing her hair and digging through her purse, which she had brought up earlier, for make-up.

"Really, Ace?" he asked incredulously. Rory looked up, expression serious. "We need to talk about this now?"

"Yes," she stated decisively. "If you ever want to get near me again, we need to discuss this."

He sighed. "Fine."

She was silent for a moment, contemplating how to start. "I've loved the Times since I was...five? Six? I don't know, I was really young. April had just been born, and my mom and dad were paying a lot of attention to her."

He laughed at her blush. "You were jealous of your baby sister?" 

"I was six!" she defended. "Besides, my parents pay a lot of attention to the youngest child. When Gigi was born, April had just turned ten. She expected my parents to pay her attention all the time and when they didn-"

"Ace. The Times."

"Right, sorry. I just...one day we were sitting there, in April's room and she was a baby, you know? So small and red and wrinkly? I loved her, and I was so jealous I couldn't..._show _it, for lack of a better word. My dad found a copy of the New York Times, showed me the Children's comic sections, and I read her out a couple of the comics."

"You read your sister the New York Times comics?"

"It was bonding!"

"Hey," he raised his arms in defense. "I think that's sweet."

"I grew up reading the Times. It's what I've worked my whole life for, Logan. Chilton, Yale, all of it. Every grade I've ever earned in my life is a stepping stone to this moment. I want this so badly it's like...I can see it, right there, and its dangling right in front of me and...I'm so afraid it'll be taken out from beneath me."

Logan walked over to the bed and sat down, lying back. He put his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling, and kicked his shoes off. "My reason for wanting the Times position isn't as great as yours. I just want it to prove to the world that I can do it. I can do something in my life without using my name. All my life I've been Logan Huntzberger, the guy that gets everything he has because his parents decided it. Admission to Choate, Andover, Deerfield? Parents. Yale? Parents. MBA? Parents. First serious girlfriend? Parents." He raised his head and smiled at her softly. "You know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, right? My parents setting us up, that may just be their redeeming quality."

She smiled back at him sadly, eyes lined with guilt. He caught on quickly, and sat up straight. "What?" he asked nervously. "I have to be honest, I've never been in a relationship before. So if this is the part where you're breaking up with me, _and I hope to God that you aren't_, then please just do it quickly."

"I wanted to," she admitted. "Does that make me a bad person? A bad girlfriend?"

He let out a breath in relief, one that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "No. Want_ed?_" he queried about her use of the past tense.

"Serena told me not to run. That we could talk through this before the New Year."

Logan glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table. It read 11:28 PM. They had forty-two minutes until the New Year. "I think we can do it. We just have to be honest."

"I applied to Columbia's School of Journalism," she blurted out. "And I got in. I found out yesterday."

He fell back onto the bed. "I was not expecting that. When did you even _apply?_"

"A month and a half ago," she admitted reluctantly.

"Wouldn't it have been nice of you to tell me?"

All traces of laughter and fun were gone now. Logan was mad, furious even. She could see it in his face. Similar to the way he had looked once before, when she had crossed the line, his eyes were devoid of emotions, no longer sparkling with mirth. His mouth was set in a thin, straight line, and his jaw was clenched.

"I didn't want to mention anything until I knew I got in for sure. We don't know what we're doing after we graduate from Yale. You said your dad had mentioned something about London, and I just...if there was a plan, Columbia wasn't import-"

"Columbia was,_ is_," he corrected himself. "Important to you. That makes it important to me, too, Rory. If you had told me you were going to apply, then-"

"Then what? Mitchum would have automatically given you the Times job? That's not an opportunity I want to miss."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! I don't know what I want to do." 

"You can't be indecisive forever, Rory. You apply to this thing, you don't tell me, _your fiancé_, and then when you get in, you don't know if you want to go for this or no?"

"What if I don't have the opportunity to work at the New York Times again, Logan? They get thousands of applicants every year, and very rarely do they have positions open. That's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"I don't want to fight you for a job," he said, voice tight. "Especially when we have other options." 

"You don't understan-"

"I understand perfectly."

"_Stop _cutting me off," she said sharply. Logan flinched. "You _don't _understand. I didn't tell you about Columbia because if you had plans... Logan we haven't talked about the future. I don't know if you or Mitchum has already decided something yet. I don't know. Everything is open, wide, wide open. Telling you I got into Columbia, well, that would force you to come to New York City just because of me. What if you didn't want to go? What if you had plans? I just wanted to see which way things were going. I wasn't going to hide this from you forever."

"Then why," he asked. "Did you have a conversation with Serena about leaving." He was still mad, but his voice had lost some of its steel.

Her shoulders slumped, and she trudged over to the bed to sit down next to him. He automatically wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned into him. "Because I didn't know if I wanted Columbia, and fighting you for the Times is not something that I want to do right now. Or ever."

"Why?" he asked, a smile pulling at his lips. "Afraid I'm too good for you?"

She pulled away and hit him. "No! Maybe. If you put your mind to it, you could beat me."

He grinned. "You really believe in me that much? That I could beat you out for a job?" 

Rory looked at him in surprise. "You don't think you could? Logan, you are so talented, do you know that? You're just really lazy." 

"Thanks for that compliment." 

"Anytime, oh Master and Commander."

It was at that moment that Logan knew he was really and truly in love with this girl. She believed in him, more than anyone else ever had, and he honestly loved her for it.

"So, Columbia..."

"I really would like to take the Journalism course..."

"And I would really love to write for the Times." 

A beat of silence as they contemplated this new compromise."

"I'm not admitting defeat, though."

"Never," Logan agreed.

"You have to actually fight for it. Work hard." 

"Always."

"Okay."

"Okay."

And then he turned his face to hers and kissed her again.

This time, no younger sibling interrupted.

-RL-

**The Grand Ballroom, Huntzberger mansion, 11:20 PM. Dec 31st, 2010. **

She didn't understand the way the world worked _at all. _

It was Murphy's Law, of course: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

So far, everything was going wrong. And the year hadn't even begun yet.

For one thing, Samantha Winthrop, her best friend, was nowhere to be found. Four minutes ago, from the top of the Grand Ballroom stairs (honestly, the Huntzberger's didn't even need a Grand Ballroom), she had seen Sam dancing with one of her numerous Lawrence cousins. Now, in the middle of the dance floor, she couldn't find her best friend _anywhere. _

Plus, she had had a fight (in public), with the only guy who had, as of late, shown interest in her. Not that she was even remotely interested in Nate, but she _had _hurt his feelings.

And then, as if the universe was trying to remind her how utterly love-less her life was, she walked in on her sister and future brother-in-law. Great.

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Fully expecting one of her grandmothers' friend's sons or nephews, she pasted a glare on her face.

Samantha's smile slipped off her face. "Wow, Ape, don't hold back there."

April's eyes widened and she threw her arms around her friend. "OH, thank God you're here. I was so bored and this night is already fifteen million different kinds of wrong."

Sam laughed. "I've been here."

"Dancing with your family, ignoring me."

"Hey," Sam defended. "Your family is hosting this thing. Besides, I looked for you, and I couldn't find you after that guy fought in World War III in the middle of the dance floor."

April smiled sheepishly. "You saw that?"

Sam nodded. "And heard it, too." She put her arm on April's shoulder and pulled her away from the dance floor towards a wall, against which chairs were leaning. They turned the chairs to face each other, then sat down. "Everyone heard," Sam told her. "You guys were...really loud."

"I don't believe this," April buried her head in her hands. "My mom is going to be so mad at me."

"...Why?"

"Remember that guy who almost ran me over with his car?"

"On the last day of school? When you decided to be a stuck-up bitch and keep walking even though you knew it could get you killed...?

April flinched. "Okay, can we forget that last part?"

"No."

"Right. Of course not."

"April," Sam said condescendingly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"He'sLogan'scousin," April said quickly. She was hoping her friend wouldn't hear, but Sam had long since mastered the art of speaking like a Gilmore Girl.

"Oh, holy hell."

April stayed silent.

"How do you get yourself into these things?"

"Well it's not as if I go looking for them! I don't pray to God every day and say 'could you please send someone to almost kill me so that he could be my future brother-in-law's cousin? I would also really appreciate it if he liked me.'"

"HE LIKES YOU?" Sam whispered furiously. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"He's a jerk!"

"A really tall, cute jerk with amazingly green eyes that doesn't put up with your shit. Why are you not on your knees begging for him to forgive you?"

"Because he's the type of guy to drive fancy cars just because he can, and hook up with hot, rich chicks, just because he can, and cruises through life not actually working for anything."

"...You've only known him for, what, six days?"

"Sam, drop it," April said seriously. "Whatever happened between Nate and me, he'll get over it."

"He has to," Sam mumbled. "If he wants a shot with you."

"What?"

"Nothing," Sam replied quickly. "I didn't say anything."

"Okay," April said. Her eyes were scanning over the dance floor, until the finally landed on the six-foot-two frame of the one and only Nathaniel DuPont.

Shiny eyes, sexy smirk, flashy last name, and if reputation was anything to go by, quite the intellect.

Not to mention one Aprille Cecilia Gilmore Hayden's completely undivided attention.

Was there anything this boy _didn't _have?

Then again, Sam thought, seeing April's eyes move toward Evan Pennington, Choate Rosemary Hall's resident Golden Boy, maybe undivided wasn't the best word to use.

-RL-

**Logan's childhood bedroom, 11:50 PM, Dec 31st, 2010. **

When Rory pulled away from him for the fourth time that night, Logan got irritated.

"What now?" he whined as she got off the bed and started smoothing down her dress. She pouted playfully at him and pointed at the clock. Ten minutes to midnight. They needed to get downstairs.

"Hey, Rory," Logan pushed himself up, leaning on his elbows. His shirt was hanging open, but Rory could see how serious he looked and chose not to comment on it. Besides, he only called her 'Rory' if he was being serious about something.

"Do you want to announce it tonight? That we're engaged?"

She froze. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea," she said slowly. After all, an hour ago she doubted their relationship. Logan knew her by now. He knew that the moment they announced it to the world, she'd be tied.

He cut to the chase. "I'm not doing this to corner you. I promise. I'm doing this because...I don't want to start the New Year hiding this, our relationship. We're engaged to be married, and neither one of us is backing out anytime soon, right?"

She swallowed nervously, eyes never leaving his darkened brown. "Right."

"So we're okay?"

"I...yeah. Mostly."

He ignored the second part of her sentence (and her unsure tone), and then stood up, buttoning his shirt. "So then we'll go downstairs and tell the world we're getting married?" Logan smiled brightly, genuinely, his eyes reflecting his happiness. At that moment, Rory didn't care about running, or the New York Times, or _anything _really, other than the fact that this was _Logan _and he was standing right there and smiling like that _because of her. _

She grinned. "I'd kiss you, but we should go."

He grinned back. "We should."

-RL-

**Huntzberger's Guest House 11:30 PM, Dec 31st, 2010. **

When Nate had told April that he was going to go find a blonde bimbo to make out with _because that was what he did, _he was being sarcastic.

Only now, he had to eat his words.

Because that was exactly what he was doing. In his defense, the girl (Hayley, Aimee, something that rhymed with -ey) had straddled him when he was sitting down, and he couldn't get her off of him without hurting her.

Which was seriously not an option because then she'd sue, or say he'd raped her or something.

And that was much, much worse than kissing the girl whose name he'd forgotten, even though she really sucked at kissing.

He'd stormed out to the guest house to blow off some steam after his argument with April, only to find out he wasn't alone. This girl (Hayley?) had been waiting for him, and had blatantly started flirting with him.

Or not-so-blatantly, he guessed, since he didn't actually realize that she _wanted _anything until she was on his lap, glued to his lips.

Thankfully, she pulled away from him just then, breathing heavily. "You're so hot," she mumbled. She leaned back in for another kiss, but Nate shifted his head and she ended up kissing his cheek. Unfortunately, this gave him a view of the window, curtains drawn open.

Where April was looking through, an incredulous look on her face. She rolled her eyes in disbelief, and, if he was being wishful, maybe just a little bit of hurt.

Oh, crap.

April walked away from the guest house, smiling in victory. "I was right. He _is _that kind of guy."

Somehow, though, the victory seemed kind of hollow.

-RL-

**Grand Ballroom. 11:41 PM, Dec 31st, 2010. **

"...bounced into the next lane over, and hit a strike. Best game of bowling I've ever played," Evan finished.

"That is quite the story," she laughed. "Nothing crazy has happened to me while I was bowling. Except this one time, when I was around six and we went bowling with Rory and Serena, I was jealous that Rory kept hitting the most pins, so I crawled down the lane when my mom wasn't looking, and blocked off the whole thing. She was so scared of hitting me, she didn't bowl after that."

"That is pure evil," Evan said. "Honestly."

April shrugged. "What can I say," she smiled brightly. "I have a penchant for being a drama queen."

"I've also heard you're pretty calm and cool most of the times."

"Yeah," her expression was sheepish. "April Hayden, Ice Queen. That's me."

"Nah. In the last," Evan checked his watch. "Eight minutes that I've known you, you've made a pretty awesome, non-Ice Bitch-y, impression on me."

"Really?"

"Definitely. You're smart, funny, nice, and you're beautiful, honestly."

He was laying on the charm, and she could tell, but she let him do it. He wasn't being a sleaze, he was honestly being charming, and she could tell with the way he was looking at her (and had been checking her out all night), that he was honestly interested in her. Evan Pennington may just be Prince Charming, she decided, all thoughts of Nathan wiped from her mind.

For the next fifteen minutes, before Rory and Logan came downstairs, the two of them stayed by the food table, talking and teasing each other. If April didn't know any better, she'd say they were flirting.

-RL-

**Grand Ballroom 11:55 PM Dec 31st, 2010. **

Rory looked at Logan nervously, a nervous smile covering her face.

"Are we really going to do this?" she asked.

"I'd really like to kiss you at midnight without being asked what my intentions are, so that's a resounding _yes _from me."

"Okay. Does this mean I don't have to watch other girls hit on you now?"

"Girls aren't going to stop hitting on me, Ace," he teased. "I mean, come on. Look at me. Who can resist this?"

"I can," she raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he mirrored her. "Is that why we've been upstairs for the better part of an hour now?"

She was saved from having to answer that by Francine, who had seen them coming down the stairs looking considerably more disheveled than they had been going _up. _However, now was neither the time nor the place to discuss that. Besides, Francine trusted Rory and Logan, and they were both mature, rational adults.

"Richard said that Logan had told him that the two of you had decided to announce your engagement tonight? Well, he's about to propose a toast to the two of you."

Rory turned to Logan. "You already told him? You_ knew_ I'd agree before you even _asked_, didn't you?"

Logan didn't falter. "Come on, Ace. You should take this as a sign of how well I already know you. Our marriage is going to be _awesome._"

"You are not Ted Mosby," she scolded, irritation evaporating quickly. "So don't act like it."

And then three very important things happened at once.

Richard tapped his glass with his fork, catching the attention of everyone in the room, essentially distracting them from the food table and the back door.

Nate walked in through the back door, Hayley following close behind.

And Evan Pennington put his arm around April's waist, pulling her close. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear, and April laughed in response and hit him playfully.

"...And so, to Logan Elias Huntzberger and Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Hayden III, the newest happy couple of Hartford society, I would like to raise a toast," Richard finished.

Everyone in the room, save Nate, raised a glass to the happy couple. Logan and Rory were standing in the middle of the room, and as the clock struck twelve, he pulled her close to him and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. Evan leaned down to kiss April on the cheek, but she turned her head at the last moment and ended up kissing him awkwardly. She pulled back to look for Nate, only to see him grab Hayley and kiss her again.

April smiled softly, fire erupting in her eyes, and tilted her head up to Evan's again. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I don't normally kiss on the first date."

"No one has to know," he responded cheekily. "It's a secret I'll take with me to the grave."

"You sure?"

"Pinky swear." He held out a pinky towards her, and she linked hers with it.

"Well that makes it official. You can't break a pinky swear."

"...Can I kiss you again?"

"I'm not stopping you."

-RL-

a/n: Um, yeah. I updated TWICE in ONE WEEK. . Don't expect it that often? I dunno what to say. Thanks for the awesome reviews for the last chapter! They prompted me to start writing immediately.

The ending was…yeah, not the best way I've ended a chapter, but yeah, I couldn't figure out how else to end it.

As for my chapter-by-chapter plan, it hasn't been shot to hell completely...yet. So it may or may not be more than 19 chapters. I think it's going to be more. How do you guys feel about that?

Nate or Evan?

Oh, and the Times deal conflict? That is nowhere _near_ done. This story may become a Romance/Drama or Humor/Drama in upcoming chapters.

REVIEW!(:


	12. Of apologizes and realizations

PERSONAL NOTE: so I've started writing a How I Met Your Mother fic, because HelpATemporaryIdentityCrisis writes awesome stories and totally inspires me. That's also the reason for the HIMYM references in here.

That said, there was an earthquake near her home, and it was fairly large (6.3 on the Richter scale), and nearly 200 people are trapped and 65 dead (the last time I checked). So please, everyone, keep New Zealand in your thoughts and if you're religious, pray a little?

Thanks.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I started writing this chapter on Valentine's Day, and it's been a while. I've realized that that stupid chapter-by-chapter outline stifles my creativity, so I'm only going to use it as a basic framework. If that leads to more inconsistencies, I'm really sorry.

If you feel there's too much Nate and April in here, bear with me. The second half of the next chapter, most of chapter 14, and ALL of chapter 15 is completely R/L.

Keep in mind, though, that the rest of the series will still revolve around them. I'm trying to figure out the timeline, but it kinda sucks, because by the time the epilogue comes around, Logan will be like, sixty, which I really don't want. In the next story, Gigi and Will might just be a lot older just to fit the timeline.

-RL-

"Don't be stupid, Nate," April slammed her locker door shut, spun the dial, and turned to look at him. "Evan is, contrary to _your _belief, a good guy. A genuinely nice guy who actually cares about people and makes them laugh and-"

"Kisses them twenty minutes after he's met them? Yeah, that doesn't scream arrogant douchebag at all." 

"First of all," April defended. "It was a New Years' Kiss. You kiss whomever you're with as long as it doesn't make it awkward afterwards. You kissed Hadley didn't you?-"

"Hadley?" Nate interrupted. "Yes! I _knew _her name started with an 'H'."

April straightened and started walking away. "Okay, yeah, I don't really have to defend myself to you."

"What? April, can you just hold on a second," he reached out to grab her shoulder. "Evan Pennington, _not_ a good guy. Trust me."

"If Evan's not a good guy, I shudder to think what you're classified as. Honestly. And that's the thing, _Natie. _I _don't _trust you."

"Why?" he threw his hands in the air. "You know what; you're the single most frustrating person I've met in my _life._"

"Yeah, well you're no picnic either," she shot back. "I don't get what your problem is. Just because you wanted to ask me out before, Bruce Banner, doesn't mean you can turn into your alter ego and have extreme bouts of jealously if I actually get close to a guy."

He groaned in frustration. "This is not about you."

Lies. Of course this was about her. It was always about her. It had been about her since she'd started a verbal sparring match in the parking lot outside of Chilton on the last day before break, making her the first girl in a long time that hadn't just batted her eyelashes and stepped aside so he could have his own way.

Before Christmas, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. Now, though, he was starting to see that maybe what he liked was the idea of her, and not April Hayden herself.

But then he would state his opinion and she would disagree and they'd get fired up and he'd realize that nothing had changed.

Especially not the fact that the rest of Chilton's student body had no shame and would openly form a crowd in the hallways just to see a repeat of Round 1.

This time, though, April realized they had an audience before he did. She suddenly turned into a classroom they were passing by, and it took Nate a full thirty seconds to realize she'd disappeared.

"What the hell," he stopped and then ducked into the same classroom. After pausing briefly to check which classroom they were in, he put his stuff down in the seat next to hers and stood at her desk. She was openly glaring at him.

"Nate, can you just stop being a hypocrite?"

"I _actually _have no idea what you're talking about this time."

"This time," she snorted.

"April-"

"Look, I saw you," she interrupted vehemently, eyes flashing. "With Hadley, in the pool house. I was coming to apologize for the fact that I misjudged you, only to find out that you, in fact, were exactly the kind of guy I thought you were."

"April are you jealous because you saw me kissing Hadley?"

"Why would I be jealous of that blonde _bimbo? _I doubt she can hold a conversation with you for more than two minutes."

"I _know _you can't hold a conversation with me for more than two minutes. You always end up yelling at me."

"Because you're always wrong."

"Oh yeah? What am I wrong about this time?"

"You keep saying that I'm jealous of Hadley, when clearly _you're _jealous of Evan."

"Well I dunno, you did look kind of hurt when you saw me kissing her in the pool house, right? You didn't even stay for more than 30 seconds."

Crap.

He wasn't supposed to say that.

Now he couldn't play dumb. He opened his mouth to say something, even though he didn't know _what _to say exactly, when the bell rang.

They weren't a couple, they weren't even _friends. _

She wasn't even supposed to care.

"Saved by the bell, huh."

But she obviously did.

He nodded weakly and sank into the seat next to her. She turned sharply. "Um, the bell rang. You're supposed to go to your next class."

He pulled his schedule from his pocket and showed it to her. "I'm _in _my next class. Fourth period AP Calculus BC. Panico. Room A-57. I got my schedule changed today."

"They can't switch you two weeks after you've been at this school! There are only two weeks left in the semester!"

"Calm it down, Ape. I just went from second to fourth. And Coach just approved me for Varsity soccer yesterday, so they had to change my schedule. You're stuck with me."

And then April groaned and banged her head on the desk.

He really couldn't blame her.

-RL-

When April got home, she found Logan with Gigi and Will in the living room, watching Wizards of Waverly Place.

"Hydrogen then helium lithium beryllium ..." Justin was saying.

"You know, Lexie Grey from Grey's Anatomy has a better version," April said as she dropped her bag and jacket on the sofa. "During her version, we get to see Eric Dane's face."

Logan looked up from the television, "You know, sometimes you remind me of this Alex girl."

"Only _sometimes?" _she pouted and snapped her fingers, moving her elbow across her front. "Drat."

He was unamused.

"Oh come on. At least I'm not acting like Miley Cyrus."

"Actually yeah, good point. I _really _hate that show. If I hear someone say 'saywhat' after some really long adjective with a million hyphens, I will kill them."

"You know who Miley Cyrus is."

"Please, with the amount of space that HPG tabloids _waste _on her? I damn well better know who Miley Cyrus is."

"Language. I have baby siblings in the room."

"Baby siblings who are too busy learning the periodic tablet to listen to me curse."

"You gotta love Justin Russo."

"No, _you _gotta love Justin Russo. I'm just babysitting this one time."

She laughed in response. "You're getting married to their older sister. You think you'll be able to weasel your way out of baby-sitting duty?"

"Hey, I did it with Nate."

"Doubt it. By the time you were old enough to babysit Nate, you were in boarding school. Besides, no sane parent would trust you to babysit."

He stared at her. "Yours did."

"Have you met my parents?"

"Yes, have you?"

"So then in what universe does my mother classify as 'sane'?"

"Well, she had to have _some _good genes to pass on." He waved at her lazily. "You turned out okay."

She stopped, expression becoming serious. "Nate doesn't think so."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows. "Since when does my cousin's opinion matter to you?"

"It doesn't!" she said quickly. "It's just that...well, people like me."

Logan nodded, unsure of where she was going with this. "Is that supposed to be surprising?," he asked slowly. "Because I'm pretty sure you're a likeable person."

"Right. Which is what I thought. But Nate, he doesn't like me. It's like...I'm the bane of his existence."

Her brother-in-law scoffed. "No offense, but I doubt you take up that much importance in his life right now. He's an eighteen-year-old boy who has just settled down in _Hartford, _one of the most predominantly reputation-based cities in America, with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, after being relocated from boarding school to boarding school since he was ten. He's across an ocean from his immediate family, which includes his pregnant older sister, recently married older brother, and a father who is pressuring him to go to Yale, a school he doesn't want to go to, just because they have a legacy there. He's a DuPont, which means he has no say of what he wants to do with his life. He may not be in an arranged marriage, April, but I wouldn't want to trade places with him."

"I-oh."

"'I-oh' is right. Look, Ape," he said softly. "I love you, you know I do. You're like a little sister to me, and I care about your happiness, and...okay I sound like a girl," he shuddered. April laughed lightly at this. "But anyways, the difference is that he _is _my little brother. And you're already hurting him. So if you two could stop this will-they-won't-they guessing game, it would be greatly appreciated."

"I can be nice," she whispered quietly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Hey," he threw his arm around her. "_I'm _sorry. What I said was slightly harsh."

"I needed to hear it," she admitted.

"You did," Logan agreed.

"God," she buried her head in her hands. "I feel the need to apologize."

They were silent for a few minutes until Logan spoke.

"Don't," Logan responded.

"Don't what?"

"Apologize."

"Why not?"

"Then he'll think you're sympathizing. And he hates sympathy. Besides," he added casually.

he loves it here.

April raised her head to look at him through narrowed eyes. "What?"

"Sure," Logan got up, smirking. He walked over to the kitchen island (they Hayden's open floor plan on the first floor was really awesome that way), and picked up a few grapes. He juggled them as he said. "He hates Derek's new wife, and Emerson is ridiculously annoying when she's pregnant. More so than Honor. Which is really saying something."

"Oh, my God. Logan! Did that five-minute guilt trip have a _point?_"

He threw a grape at her. "Yes. Think about other people. As in, _people who are not you."_

"Argh!" she fell back on the couch pillows. "You," she pointed at him. "You are frustrating."

"And _you _are selfish. We all have our flaws. Learn from them."

"I am not selfish!" she protested.

"When the four of us went out to dinner the other day, and you ordered oysters, you didn't share. That's shellfish."

He dropped the grapes when he ducked from the pillow she threw at him. "If it's not funny when Ted says it, it's not funny when you say it."

"I dunno, Rory laughed."

"Rory laughs at _everything_ you say. She loves you."

"She doesn- wait, she _loves_ me?"

Oops. So Rory hadn't told him yet. Backtrack backtrack backtrack.

April plastered an innocent expression on her face. "I don't know, does she?"

At this point, Logan was blind if he couldn't see that Rory loved him. She lit up when she was around him; was always touching him or talking to him or looking at him; even when Logan wasn't around, they were calling or texting. She told him everything, and they were getting to be a "real" couple who told each other everything and made decisions together. They were still working out what Rory was going to do after Yale (Logan wanted her at Columbia, Rory wanted to go to the NY Times), but everyone was sure they'd work it out.

Nate had tried betting April that they'd have baby names picked out by Valentine's Day, but she'd said no.

Why waste a hundred bucks like that? She'd rather by a new pair of boots.

Or spend it on Gigi and Will.

Stop being so selfish, she thought to herself.

But Rory and Logan had gotten to the point where it was expected that if Rory was asked to do something and couldn't do it at the last minute (read: babysit her younger siblings), Logan would step in, no questions asked. ("Don't worry about it, Ace. The munchkins love me.)

They did, too. Logan was the only one who could tolerate that Disney Channel crap that the two of them watched all the time. Everyone else had already developed an aversion to it, even Nate, who had had the fortune of babysitting two days ago. He and Will had watched The Suite Life on Deck all day, and, by the end of the day, Nate had willingly watched an episode of Glee with her, simply because it was the complete antithesis of Disney Channel.

But Logan showed no signs of stopping. He took them both for hot chocolate, to the movies, to Chuck E. Cheese, everywhere and everything he'd wanted to do as a kid, he was doing now, with Gigi and Will.

And, once Rory stopped freaking out about being in Love with Logan, she couldn't stop thinking of how awesome a dad he'd be.

Even Chris had grudgingly come to admit that Logan was a good guy, and that even if she'd tried, Rory probably wouldn't have found a better guy than him.

So the grandparents were forgiven, the grandchildren were in love, and everyone met up for family dinners.

Logan's cell phone started to ring at the same time the doorbell rang, so April turned to answer the door.

As she was walking out of the living room, she heard Logan say, "Hey, Nate, what's up?"

So she walked a little faster.

By the time Logan yelled "April!" angrily from the living room, she and Samantha were already halfway up to her room.

-RL-

Nate was pissed off.

Actually, no, he was more than pissed off.

Today was just one big mesh of _horrible _and it just kept getting worse and worse.

He started out with a phone call from his dad at 5 AM, because his father didn't seem to care that he'd be waking his son up before the crack of dawn, instead only realising that, in London, he was on his way to work. Then, Rory had called and asked him if he could pick up April on his way to school because her car was out of gas and she had no ride.

Naturally, since Rory was asking him, he couldn't say no.

Saying no to Rory was like saying no to Thumper.

Not only was it _not _impossible, it made you feel like you kicked a dying puppy.

And Nate didn't kick dying puppies.

But anyways, he had to pick up April and she was running late, so _he _was running late, and he ended up slipping into homeroom ten seconds before the bell rang without getting to go to his locker.

And then he'd had a very public fight with April before fourth period, and had then had to sit through fifty-five minutes of pure torture that involved learning about Taylor series and sitting next to a very pretty girl who couldn't stop glaring at him. Then, after lunch, he'd had a very tiring and strenuous three mile run for Athletics/Varsity Soccer, and if he wasn't so tired, he'd be angry enough to beat someone up.

It figured that now, at five-thirty in the afternoon, when he was sweaty, tired, and hungry, he would discover that his car was missing.

April.

Sighing, he dropped his bags and knelt on the ground to go through them, making a futile attempt to look for his keys. Unsurprisingly, he didn't find them, and he pulled out his cell phone, instead to call the one person who had his back at all times.

Logan.

He picked up on the first ring. "Hey, Nate, what's up?"

"April stole my car," he said flatly. "I need someone to come pick me up."

"She...what?"

"She stole my car," he repeated. "I need you to come pick me up."

"April!" Logan yelled. Nate pulled the phone from his ear, wincing.

"Dude. Warn a guy before you do that."

"Right, sorry. She must have known it was you calling, she's gone and holed herself up in her room with Sam."

"Sam's there? Awesome! Sam has a car, she can come pick me up."

"They're holed up in April's room, Nate."

"Wait," Nate realized. "You're there?"

"I'm babysitting Gigi and Will, yeah. I can't come pick you up."

"Are you serious?" Nate pulled at his hair. "Bring them!"

"I don't have a car seat for Will."

"Leave them home! April's there."

"They're leaving in fifteen minutes. Here, you know what, I'll call Rory."

"Thank you. I'll just wait."

"No problem. I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"Nathaniel."

"Right, right. Sorry. Just tell your fiancé to get here-"

"She's already on her way."

-RL-

When Rory arrived to pick him up ten minutes later, she was furious.

She pulled up beside him on the curb, unlocked the door, and got out of the car to help him load his soccer bag and backpack in, because that was the type of person Rory was.

She was helpful and sweet and kind, and totally the kind of person Logan needed.

Nate could already see them, ten years from now, with three kids and a white picket fence. They'd be _that _family. That ultimately, awesome totally perfect family with the beautiful kids and the young, completely in-love parents. Rich, smart, attractive.

If he didn't love Logan so much, he'd hate him.

"I can't believe she'd do this," Rory ranted. "I mean, she knows better than to just _steal _people's cars. Who gives her these ideas?"

"I dunno," Nate mumbled, head resting against the window. He was half-asleep and barely listening, but even in his half-conscious state he realized that Rory was doing way too much for him already, so he should probably pay attention and make her feel like she wasn't talking to herself.

Not that it mattered, she'd probably keep ranting on anyways.

"I get that she wants to piss you off, but come _on, _there has to be a limit for everything! What if it rained! What if I wasn't able to come pick you up, huh? I mean, you've been up and running since 5:30 this morning, you're running on very little sleep, you had an extremely tiring after-school practice, and after burning all that energy you need _food_! Oh, my God! You need food! Have you eaten?"

"So does she," he yawned. "Low sleep, long day, tiring practice, no food. So does April."

Rory looked over at the tall teenage boy next to her. His green eyes were fluttering shut, his hair was plastered to his head, and she had already heard his stomach growl at least three times.

"You really like my sister, don't you?" she asked softly.

Nate's eyes opened wide. "What?"

"April. You really like her."

"No, no. Trust me, I don't."

She stared at him.

"I don't!"

"Methinks the Lord doth protest too much."

"Oh shut up. I'm not lying."

"What do you mean?" she asks. As if to emphasize how serious she is, she turns down the radio, which was blasting Maroon 5's 'Misery'.

"Hey!" Nate protested. "I actually like that song."

"You were falling asleep," Rory responded, signaling to make a right turn. "I doubt you even heard it. Now stop stalling at tell me what you meant."

Nate sighed. "It's nothing, really."

"I believe in the power of the Freudian slip."

"I don't."

"Well I'm older and this is my car, so sucks for you."

"Fine," he hesitated. "I used to."

"Used to what?"

She _knew _used to 'what', but she wanted to make him squirm as he said it.

Because that's the type of person Rory was. A devil in the guise of an angel.

But there were a lot of sides to Rory, he was coming to find out. Just like there were a lot of different parts of him that made Nathaniel, rather than just Nate, the friend/brother/cousin, or Nathan, the son/nephew/grandson, or Nathaniel, the son of one of the most important men in the world.

Another conversation with Logan to look forward to. He shuddered internally. The birds and the bees talk was awkward enough.

"I used to like April," he admitted finally. "I actually wanted to kiss her on New Year's, but then she and Evan..."

"So you ended up with Hadley Masterson," Rory finished.

Despite being wrapped up in her own problems, she could clearly see the drama unfolding between her sister and Nathan. While Nate was just coming out of his feeling for April, her sister hadn't yet realized that Nate was going to be a big part of her life from now on.

It would take a while for that.

It would take even longer for April to realize that Nate being in her life had nothing to do with Logan or Rory. It had everything to do with the fact that April was April and Nate was Nate and they had made a very confusing mess out of what could have been a really great friendship.

"Hadley and I only lasted for five days. She was way too annoying without alcohol."

"Which you shouldn't be drinking anyway," she reminded him, breaking as they hit a red light and she could stop to look at him. Nate looked at his lap. Rory was being more motherly to him than Emerson ever had been.

But he and Emerson hadn't always had the best relationship.

"I used to like April, but then I realized that I can't be with someone who is constantly making me out to be the bad person. That's not the way it works, you know?"

"I antagonized Logan for the first couple months."

"It's not the same, Ro. You guys are older. You're arranged to be married. If you don't work this out, you're kind of screwed for the rest of your lives."

"I don't love Logan because I have to marry him, Nathan!" she exclaimed.

And then they both froze.

"You don't get to tell him I said that," she said quickly.

"You haven't told him yet?"

"I...just...there hasn't been a good time, and it's just-"

"Oh, bullshit, Rory. You know how he's been waiting for you to say that? It's emasculating! Give him back his balls, Hayden. Geez."

"Don't be vulgar."

"Don't be a coward."

"What if it just doesn't work out, Nate? I can't give him my heart and then have it broken."

"Okay, for fear of sounding like a girl, you'll break your own heart if you don't tell him. And secondly, Logan is at the point in his life where he is _looking _for something to fight for, Rory. Dammit. And honestly, I'm looking at it, right now. Because Logan is going to fight for you. So tell him. Trust me, you'll be a lot happier."

And then, because nature owed him and _something _had to go right today, Rory pulled to a stop in her driveway and Nate got out as he finished his sentence.

Dramatic exits for the win.

-RL-

"Hey," she came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was standing at the kitchen island eating grapes, something he'd been doing a lot lately, and his grey Polo sweater looked really good.

"Hey yourself, Ace. I haven't seen you all day," he leaned down for a kiss. Her stomach flopped over, and she remembered Nate's words. 'Logan is going to fight for you'.

Looking around, with Will and Gigi asleep on the sofa covered in blankets, the dishes done , and the toys all put away, she could see that he _really was trying. _

And despite the fact that she was being shellfish (yes, she loved the shellfish joke, whether it come from Ted Mosby or her fiancé) and couldn't decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, he was still here, standing in front of her, face lit up because of her.

The words were on the tip of her tongue. 'I love you, I love you, I love you', but she couldn't say them.

"I was wondering," he started. "If you would like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night?" she answered coyly. "Because, you know, I may have plans tomorrow night."

"Oh yeah?" he played along. "With who."

"Well," her fingers trailed up his chest. "I have this really hot, super rich fiancé who might have made plans tomorrow night. So I'm not sure."

"I'm sure he could spare you for one night, right?" he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"I'm sure he could," she bit back a grin as he leaned down.

Tomorrow. She'd tell him at dinner tomorrow night.

-RL-

a/n: feel free to flame, honestly.

keep new zealanders in your thoughts!

read my HIMYM fic?

REVIEW!(:


	13. I love you

a/n: Yaaay! So my average RPC (reviews per chapter) is 11.83.

just wondering, can I get fifteen for this one? I dunno, I want fifteen reviews per chapter.

How do you guys feel about this story going past 19 chapters? It'll end with Rory and Logan's wedding, in June, and this was an extra chapter, an idea that fit better than the one I've already written.

-RL-

Rory's not sure how exactly it happened, but time flew.

She hadn't seen Logan in two weeks, since the day she decided she'd tell him she loved him. So that dinner hasn't happened, and two weeks have passed, and she'd been busy with midterms and just trying to not fail at school and life in general. Since she hadn't been home much lately, it was completely surprising for her to walk into the kitchen two days ago.

April was baking, Nate and Sam had their books cracked open on the kitchen island, Gigi was "helping" Honor wash the dishes, Chris was reading Will the newspaper, and Lorelai and Josh were arguing about the architecture of the Dragonfly Inn, an investment that her parents had made when April was born, and the phone was on speaker, because anything involving _anything _had to involve Emily Gilmore and Francine Hayden.

And it was just way, way too much.

"Hey," she stuck her head in April's room. Her sister didn't even flinch, so she let herself in and closed the door behind her. "What's up?"

"Studying, eat, study, study, study, eat, argue with Evan, study, argue with Nate, study, eat, sleep, study, study, baby-sit while studying, repeat," April looked at her as she settled into the bed.

"That...sounds fun."

"I failed the first Calc test of the semester. All she gave us was a paper which listed series. That's it. Do they converge, or do they diverge. So easy. And I failed it."

"I...don't remember what that is."

"I failed a two hundred and fifty point math test! At the beginning of the semester. My grade is screwed."

"Do you think it'd help if we got all these extra people out of our house?"

"I am so down for that," April put her book down. "Okay, Logan stays."

"If he ever gets back from freaking _London,_ that is."

"You miss him, don't you?"

"More than I thought possible. But we're not going to gush and sigh wistfully. We're going to make a list of the people allowed in our house."

"Right. Logan stays."

"Sam stays."

"Nate stays."

"Nate stays?" Rory asked. "I thought you hated Nate."

"I don't hate him anymore. We're kind of friends now."

Rory didn't question it. If her sister and Nate hadn't gotten off to such a bad start (read: a battle of the wills in the form of an almost-car accident), they'd have reached this point way before now.

"Okay then. I'd add Evan, but Evan doesn't actually come around here anymore. Or ever. Has he ever come around, or did I miss that, too?"

"Stop being so self-deprecating! And no, Evan hasn't actually come around here. Yet. I mean, we go out and stuff, but that's so awkward. Imagine Dad giving him the third degree."

"It can't be worse than Logan."

"Ah, Logan. I kind of really love Logan."

Rory sighed. "Me too. So you know his middle name is James?"

April snorted. "How ironic."

"Yeah, I thought so, too."

They were silent for a moment, until Rory asked the one question that had been bugging her for a while. "Is it weird if I've started thinking about kids?"

April blinked. "No."

"Because I want three."

"Uh huh."

"With Logan."

"Well, now, see, _that's _a surprise."

"Shut up," Rory shoved her sister. "Sometimes, it's this...overwhelming feeling. It scares me and I want to run, but...I can't."

"_Or_, Serena locks your doors from the outside and you're too scared to go out the window."

"Can you be serious for a minute."

"I've never been in love," April said flatly. "So, sorry, but I can't have this conversation with you."

And then Rory realized two things.

One, she was head-over-heels in love with Logan. Not that she didn't know it before, but it was just a thought, one that was in her brain somewhere, not a fully conscious thought. Now, though, it hit her full force. And there was suddenly a really large ache in her chest where her heart was supposed to be. She took a deep breath and then addressed the second thing.

"You like Nate," Rory stated. "You like Nate and you have a boyfriend."

"I...what? I like _Nate? _No. No, I don't like Nate."

She hadn't said it vehemently, she had just stated it as if it were a fact. Which meant that either April truly didn't believe that she liked Nate, or she just didn't know it yet.

Rory was largely willing to bet on the latter. But what did she know? It took her a while to realize she was in love with her fiancé.

_So _not the benchmark anyone should be aiming for.

"Okay," she said. "If you say so."

April rolled her eyes. "I do."

Downstairs, she heard the front door opening and someone talking to Summer. April went back to her book, so she turned to go. "I'm gonna go see who that is."

"If it's Nate, don't forget to mention that I want a fall wedding."

Rory bit back a laugh. "I will do that."

"Good."

"Great."

-RL-

He couldn't see her, because his back was to her, and he was on the phone pacing the living room. "Yeah, thanks Carl," he laughed. "No, I just got back from London about forty-five minutes ago... why am I not asleep? I wanted to visit my fiancé before I crashed."

He was back. Oh, god, he was back and she could practically feel that hole in her chest heal itself.

"Right, so, this is actually a business call... Remember how I told you about homes in New York? Well, we're looking at a couple of areas, and I was thinking maybe the financial district or the Upper West Side...No, we want to avoid the Upper East Side. Too flashy, she wouldn't like it."

Of course she wouldn't. All those blonde, blue-eyed women who would "stay at home with their children," and then hate any woman who actually did something productive during the day. And it wasn't like they _did _anything, either. Just went out every day to...what did they even do, anyways? Rory didn't want to become one of those people.

The Upper East Side and its' Old Money homes would have to be avoided.

"You have a place on West End? Yeah, sure, we'll come by to check it out. 14,000 square feet seems enough," he added seriously.

Rory widened her eyes. "14,000 square feet? In New York City?"

Logan turned around, an expression of shock on his face. "You know what, Carl, I'm going to have to call you back." He hung up and walked over to Rory, pulling her into his arms. This obviously wasn't the way he thought he'd be welcomed back home.

Rory pulled away, not noticing the look of hurt flash over his face. "I just...you're just...oh, my God, Logan, 14,000 square feet in New York is not a joke!"

"Ace, I know. Calm down."

"I will not calm down! When have we talked about this. A big house like that?"

He was silent for a moment. "I figured it was necessary."

"Why are we buying a brownstone?"

"Because we're going to have kids someday, Rory! At least, three. Okay, I want three kids. And I figured that it would be a good thing to have extra bedrooms because you're close to your family, and I have Honor and my cousins and I'm going to be an uncle to two different kids in a few months, and you're going to be an aunt. So yes, six bedrooms are necessary. And you don't want an Old Money, high society home in New York, I already know that. Plus, there are some awesome schools nea-"

She cut him off by kissing him. "I love you," she breathed.

And so what if they weren't at some fancy restaurant and there wasn't wine or candles or Mozart playing in the background. That wasn't them. That was what everyone wanted them to be. This, standing in the Hayden's living room, because Logan _had _to see Rory right after he got back from London, telling her about how they'd have three kids and their family would stay over, this was _them. _It didn't matter _where _she said it, because she did and she meant it. It didn't even matter that she saw Nate almost walk into the living room (how did he even get into the house, anyways?) and then just as quickly decide to run up the stairs to, presumably, April's room. She had just told Logan she loved him and he loved her, too, and...

Wait.

He loved her, too, right?

As if he could see the doubt running through her mind, he cracked a smile (mostly in disbelief), and pressed his lips to hers again. "I meant what I said back in December. I was halfway in love with you then."

A flash of disappointment ran through her, but then he kissed her again, and said, "And I mean it now when I say I am completely in love with you."

She bit back a grin. "How much."

"As much as the Lion loves the Lamb."

"Logaaaan," she pouted. "Really, you're ruining our moment by talking Twilight."

His eyes darkened. "So this is our moment?"

"Yes."

"The one we tell our three kids about?"

"Three kids?" she raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on pushing these three kids out?"

"But just think about all the fun we'll have making the third one," he smirked. "Wouldn't want to miss out on that, would you?"

"Logan!" she gasped. "Oh, my God. My sist-"

"Your parents, Gigi, and Will are at Gigi's soccer game," he said wolfishly.

"I...oh, my God, I cannot believe I'm hearing this."

"What? You didn't know they were out."

"Of course I knew they were out! I was talking about being propositioned in my living room."

"I told you," he nuzzled her neck. "No one's home."

"My sister is. And your cousin is. And even if they weren't, I wouldn't sleep with you for the first time in my parents' living room."

"So then, where _would _you?"

"Maybe...in our living room?" she said softly.

He grinned. "That can be arranged. We're going to New York on Valentine's Day, to visit the house."

"Are we buying it?" 

"If you love it."

"What about if you love it?"

"If you love it, I love it."

"You are _so _cheesy."

"But I'm your cheesy, Ace. Come on, now."

And as he leaned down to kiss her again; she was really glad he was _hers._

-RL-

"So they finally exchanged 'Iloveyous'," Nate said as he stepped into April's room. She fell off her bed in response, and got up just as he closed the door. "That looks painful."

"It was," she responded, holding her hand up to her head. "Thanks for knocking."

He shrugged, settling himself into her papasan chair, leaning his head back and staring at her ceiling. "Your ceiling has posters on it."

"I know."

"Why are you so weird?"

"Why are you so _normal_," she said cheekily.

They had settled into somewhat of a friendship; April had learnt not to make everything about herself and had started thinking about how _not _to hurt his feelings, and Nate had stopped flirting with her and had started a tentative friendship with Evan.

A _really _tentative friendship.

But at least he was close to Samantha, so if the four of them went out (which they had, once) he wasn't dropping back awkwardly.

Besides, they had the same taste in a lot of things, like books (To Kill a Mockingbird, Lolita, Love in the Time of Cholera, Harry Potter), music (Lifehouse, Maroon 5, and, surprisingly, Katy Perry), TV shows (Smallville, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother), and movies (Blue Valentine, A Hard Day's Night, Grease, Inception, Hitch, Notting Hill).

He absolutely refused to watch Never Let Me Go, though. And she wouldn't touch The Sun Also Rises even if he paid her a million dollars.

Not that she needed a million dollars, but still.

"I brought a movie," he said randomly, leaning over to the floor to dig through his bag. After a few seconds, he finally found what he was looking for, and presented the silver DVD case to her with a triumphant grin.

"No," she said seriously. "If I'm going to stop studying to watch a movie with you, then it's going to be my choice."

He groaned when she walked over to her DVD library. "Not Ferris Bueller's Day Off, please."

"Ugh, fine," she rolled her eyes. "Roman Holiday instead."

"Roman Holiday I can deal with. Audrey Hepburn's-,"

"_Don't _finish that sentence, please."

"Fine," he said, crossing the room to open the door. As they stepped out into the hallway and walked to the Hayden's home theater, he asked, "So let's make this educational. What can you tell me about the Hollywood Ten and other Red fears during the McCarthy-era?'

"Well, first off, McCarthy was an asshole..."

-RL-

"How did we escape having to do this with Rory and April?" Lorelai asked, leaning into Chris in an effort to make herself more comfortable on the steel bleachers they were sitting on. "We are officially soccer parents."

They were at Gigi's soccer game, and the little girl was on the field, running around, burning off all the energy she got from the cookies April had baked the night before. Will was sitting a few feet away, in a cluster of three-year-old boys who were _also _there to "support" their older sisters. Lorelai and Chris weren't the only ones who had a close eye on the boys, but they _were _the only ones who were doing it for their own amusement.

"Define 'soccer parents'," Chris replied. "Because I don't think that watching our son make friends instead of watching our daughter who is _actually playing soccer _fits the bill."

Lorelai turned her attention to the game. "I guess so. Oh look! Gigi scored!"

"Yeah!" Chris jumped up. "Go Gigi!"

At his cue, all of the other parents (similarly dressed Hartford couples) jumped up and started clapping, too.

"You're cute," Lorelai kissed his cheek. "But I really hate Saturday mornings. I'm not supposed to be up before noon, Chris, it's not in my system."

"We're doing it for the kids," he reminded her. "Look at Gigi. See how happy she is. And Will needs to start hanging around kids his own age."

"Rory and April turned out fine."

"Rory and April were the kids we had before our time. This, right now, this is us being the same age as other parents who have kids our age. So, if they're doing it, we're doing it. Besides, April plays basketball and tennis. It can't hurt to get Gigi involved in a sport, too."

"Oh, fine. Logan's supposed to come home today," she changed the subject.

"That was, by far, the worst transition you've _ever _made in a conversation, Lorelai. And this is after eighteen years of marriage," Chris laughed as he sat down. Lorelai looked at him, faux-shocked.

"Christopher!"

"Lorelai!" he paused. "They'll be fine. She loves him, he loves her. They'll be fine."

"She's growing up, so so _so _quickly."

Chris stared at the soccer field. "They all are."

"We're kind of awesome parents. One kid's graduating Yale, the other's going to MIT, one's starting first grade, and the other is making friends now!"

"We deserve some kind of award."

"We can make one up and present it to ourselves," Lorelai announced.

"We can make the _kids _present it to us."

"I'm pretty sure there's a law against that."

Chris shook his head. "No, there isn't."

"Ohhkaaay, Mr. Hotshot-Lawyer. You know best."

"That I do-" Chris was cut off by his phone ringing. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mr. H. It's Nathan."

"Hey Nathan," Chris said into the phone, throwing a curious glance at his wife. 'Why is he calling you?' Lorelai mouthed. Chris shrugged. "What's up."

"I want to throw a party."

"Okay..." Chris trailed off.

"At your house," Nate supplied. "That's why I'm calling you."

"Absolutely not," Chris refused. "How do you have my number, anyways?"

"April just went to the bathroom; I got it out of her phone."

"Uh huh. So you're with my daughter, right now? In my house? Alone."

"No, Rory and Logan are downstairs. And no offense to your daughter, but she's just a friend. You don't have a worry about me 'stealing her virtue'. Not that April's _ugly, but _that's a line I would never cross and-"

"Why do you want to throw a party at my house?"

Nate sighed in relief. "April's birthday is coming up. It'll be a surprise for her, and she's turning seventeen, it's kind of big."

Chris pinched his nose. Throwing a party for April at _his house _was not what he'd had in mind for his daughter's seventeenth birthday. Of course, there was a chance that Nate would be the good kind of kid who wouldn't _want _alcohol...

"Will there be alcohol?"

"Minimal," Nate responded immediately. "And we're willing to have chaperones."

"_We? _I thought you said this was a surprise."

"Sam and me, sir. And you don't have to worry about _anything._"

"Except my house getting trashed and my daughter getting wasted."

"You'd have nothing to worry about, Mr. H., sir, I wouldn't let that happen to April."

For a kid that had no idea what to address him by, Nate sounded awfully self-assured, Chris thought as he handed the phone to Lorelai. She had pressed up close to him so that she could hear what the teenage boy was saying, and as soon as she heard it involved alcohol and her daughter, she wanted the phone.

"Nate! I heard about how you wanted to get my daughter drunk," she exclaimed into the phone. "That sucks, too, since I thought you were a good kid."

"I am!" Nate protested nervously. "But-"

"Nah, it's okay. You're still a good kid. Okay, here's what we'll do, we'll provide the drinks, because I'd like to know what exactly you're drinking and how much rather than have you hide it from me, and you get to chose chaperones. Rory or Logan?"

"Both."

"Good kid. Okay, Sam knows when April's birthday is. Do your thing."

"Awesome. Thanks, Mrs. H."

"That's Lorelai, to you," she answered playfully. She hung up and handed the phone back to Chris, who was staring at her incredulously. "What?"

"You...just...oh, God, Lorelai. Our house is going to be _trashed._"

She really couldn't deny that.

-RL-

Halfway through Roman Holiday, April fell asleep on his chest.

It wasn't that the movie was boring, because she loved it, but she'd been doing way too much in the last month, and, as a result, she was falling asleep whenever she could. Like during a movie with (her friend?) Nate.

It wasn't that he liked her, but her hair smelt really nice and his stomach flopped over when he saw her, and sometimes she'd smile and he couldn't breathe.

But it was nothing, and she had Evan and they were all just _awesome, super-happy best friends, _and he just couldn't ruin that.

No matter what Sam said.

No matter how much he hated Evan for being a much better guy than he ever was.

_No matter what, _he wouldn't ruin that.

But he still let her sleep on his chest for another fifteen minutes before she finally woke up.

He was staring at her hair (her really nice, cinnamon spice scented hair), when he realized that apart from April, Sam, his best friend from soccer, Neil, and, unfortunately, _Evan, _he hadn't actually hung out with that many kids his own age since he'd moved to Hartford.

And that was a travesty, considering he was Nathaniel Grayson DuPont, and at any given time he needed to have _at least _fifteen people that he could call and hang out with. Right now, he only had four.

Which sucked, majorly.

He really needed to meet some new people. And as his gaze shifted from April to the home theater and back again, he figured out exactly how he was going to do it. He just had to talk to Mr. Hayden first. Chris would probably say no, but if he knew Lorelai (and he was assuming he knew Lorelai because he knew April and they were kind of the same), then she'd say yes.

April woke up at just the right time, and when she excused herself to go to the bathroom (she was so formal sometimes, he shook his head), he stealthily grabbed her phone, scrolled through her contacts list (contemplated breaking up with Evan through a text message, pretending to be her), and then found her father's number and programmed it into his phone.

Weird on so many levels, but it had to be done.

His heart beating wildly, he said, "Hey, Mr. H. It's Nathan," when Chris picked up the phone.

-RL-

"You're chaperoning April's birthday party," was the first thing Rory heard when she picked up the phone. She and Logan were in his car, and the Bluetooth enabled them to both talk.

"April's having a birthday party?" she asked confusedly. "She didn't tell me anything this morning."

"That's because _no one knew _this morning," Sam's voice filtered in through the speakers. "This is something that Nate decided he had to do when she fell asleep watching Roman Holiday with him."

"She watched Roman Holiday with you?" Rory screeched at Nate.

"That's intense," Logan admitted. "Roman Holiday is intense."

"Roman Holiday is like the Notebook, circa _every year before 2004,_" Sam added.

"Okay, stop talking about things I'm not interested in," Nate cut in. "Roman Holiday is just a movie, whatever. I told her we weren't watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off, so she just chose the next-best-thing."

"April _loves _Ferris Bueller's Day Off!"

"_Stop over analyzing this!"_

"NO! You need to stop, Nate, she has a boyfriend."

"Samantha, shut. Up."

"Whoa, whoa," Logan rubbed his head. "What is going on?"

"Sam and I decided we're throwing April a party for her birthday-"

"No, _you _decided we were throwing her a party for her seventeenth birthday, and now I have to split the bill with you."

"Yeah, same thing, whatever. Look, Ro, your mom said that we can have alcohol if you and Logan chaperone."

"Nate, you're my cousin and I love you and all, but I have better things to do than chaperone a high school party, okay?"

"On my sister's birthday?" Rory asked him. "No, you don't have anything better to do."

"Great!" Nate said happily. "So you'll do it?"

"Sure," Rory replied. "It'll be fun."

"No, it won't. Nate, she has a boyfriend," Sam pleaded. "Don't do this."

"I'm not doing anything. I'm throwing a party for my friend on her birthday."

"Hold on a second, there," Logan braked the car as they hit a red. Nate liking April was news to him. "You like her? No. Nate, you stay away from April."

Nate, Sam, and Rory spoke simultaneously.

"She's my _friend."_

"Logan, _thank you_."

"Don't tell him who to stay away from!" 

"Everybody, SHUT UP," Logan roared. Rory huffed in annoyance, but didn't say anything. He took a breath, and then started talking again.

"Nate, I mean stay away from her _romantically_, okay? I love that you guys are friends and not fighting all the time, but Sam's right. She has a boyfriend. You can't go watching Roman Holiday with a girl you like who has a boyfriend." At this, Nate groaned. Logan continued, "And Rory's right, too, I can't tell you who to stay away from. But for the love of God, can you guys not involve alcohol in your love-shape thing? Okay? No alcohol. It's complicated as it is."

"Logan," Rory said gently. "It's a high school party. There will be alcohol."

"There is no love-shape," Nate argued. "Why can't you guys accept that I don't like April."

"Because you keep denying it so vehemently!" 

"_Why _are you my best friend, Samantha?"

"Because I put up with you. Look, Ro, Logan, thank you guys for agreeing to chaperone. Now I have to call Evan," Sam sighed. "Bye."

"Bye," the other three chorused.

Once Sam had hung up, there was silence. "You know, you and Samantha...I could see that happening, too."

"Logan, shut up."

"Right."

"Bye."

Nate hung up, too, and Logan turned to Rory. "You're mad at me, aren't you."

"No. You were just being overprotective of my sister. I can't be mad at you for that."

"Because you love me?" he teased, a smile playing at his lips.

"Because I love you," she agreed.

"But this party's not a good idea."

"No. No, it definitely isn't."

-RL-

a/n: so who hated my 'i love you' scene?

who loves roman holiday?

who thinks nate and april have some issues to work through?

whose excited for valentine's day? (that will be next chapter or the one after, i'm not sure. but it's completely rory/logan.

REVIEW!(:


	14. The Man Who Can't Be Moved

_**a/n: **_this chapter and the next chapter were supposed to be one chapter, but it would have ended up being like...10,000 words, so i'm splitting them up. the next one will be up in about a week or so.

im going to TRY to promise one update a week, at least, from now on. I'll definitely be writing more, because the next couple of weeks are going to be relatively calm, and since I started off the semester well (i have Bs in calc and chem, which is kind of awesome because we had the hardest tests of the year, ever).

I made a family tree for the series, but its endgame, which means it has all the pairings and kids and stuff. It was kind of complicated to make, because regardless of whether or not april and nate end up together (you don't get to know yet), nate's going to be a main character in the series and in the second story, we'll see some of his nuclear family.

I can't wait for you guys to see it, because someone needs to validate that gigantic waste of time for me.

-RL-

_**6 o'clock, April's room, Hayden residence. **_

As a general rule, six in the morning just plain sucked. The fact that it was Valentine's Day and she had no one to celebrate it just made it all the more suckish, since Nate had been asked by some blonde bimbo if he would _be her Valentine, _and Sam had been 'talking' to one of Nate's soccer friends.

Of course, Nate had said no (she thought), but it still wasn't right to go out on Valentine's Day with your sister's fiancé's cousin.

How very _Emma _of them.

Technically, she had someone to celebrate with; she had a boyfriend: Evan. But he was at _Choate, _staying over for the long weekend since his parents were in Paris or Rome or some other city rich with European history.

April thought it was kind of wrong that she didn't even care that she couldn't see her boyfriend on Valentine's Day. Sure, she was sad, but it was more that she didn't have _anyone _rather than Evan specifically.

After only a month and a half, she had a feeling she was going to be breaking up with him.

"Ugh!" she pressed the pillow down over her face. "What is _wrong _with me?"

'_All my life I've been good, but now-' _her alarm started blaring. She blindly reached for her cell phone, sliding her finger down the touch screen to disarm the music. At the same time, she realized she had a text message.

_**Nathan: **__Happy Valentine's Day. Go back to sleep, loser, there's no school today. _

She quickly hit 'Reply'. _You're the loser. Why couldn't you tell me this before I woke up?_

He responded in seconds. '_...Because you'd have been asleep? Anyways, goodnight! And whatever you do, DON'T stuff your face with food when you wake up. We're going out tonight. Don't respond, unless you're going to say no. In which case, STILL don't respond. Sweet dreams.'_

Laughing quietly, she put her phone back on the nightstand, rolled over, and was asleep in minutes.

-RL-

_**10 o'clock, Rory's room, Hayden residence. **_

Rory was having a really, really good dream when her phone rang.

A really, really good dream involving _Logan. _

One that had been occurring with increasing frequency in the past week, which was coincidentally the same amount of time it had been since she had seen him last.

She really, really missed him.

"Mmph," she said into the phone. Her eyes were still closed and she hadn't bothered to check the caller ID. Whoever it was was going to have to deal with a crabby, rude Rory just because they had torn her away from her dream of Logan.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ace."

"Logan!" her eyes flew open.

"Ace!"

"Oh, my God. Happy Valentine's Day. I _miss _you, why are you calling so early, are you back on the East Coast yet? How was your trip? Are you too tired? Do you want to can-"

"Calm down, Ace. I miss you, too; I'm not calling early, it's ten o'clock; I'm walking out of JFK as we speak; my trip sucked because you weren't there; I slept on the flight, and don't you dare think you're going to weasel your way out of my epic Valentine's Day Surprise."

Rory bit back a grin. "How do you do that?" she asked wondrously. "How do you keep up with me?"

"I am a man of many talents," he declared. "And besides, Ace, I wouldn't even try if I didn't want you."

Instantly, Nate's words from their previous conversation flashed through her head. 'He will fight for you.'

"Are you coming back to Yale this week?"

"Yeah, I'll head up to New Haven tonight. When are you going back?"

"Well," she hesitated. What if this was too much, too soon? They had just exchanged proclamations of love... But wasn't that the point? He _loved _her. She was allowed to be herself, tell him everything she was thinking. So before she lost her courage, she said, "I was thinking of going back tomorrow, but if you're going back tonight, it'd probably be easier to just stay with you."

He didn't know what to say. He knew what she was saying: she wanted to move in with him, if it was okay with him. And while he would definitely love to wake up to his Ace every morning (because she was _his. _She had his ring on her finger, no matter who made it happen), he didn't know if that was what _she _wanted.

"Ace," he started gently.

"Logan," she cut his train of thought. "I'm sick of dreaming of you every night and not having you there when I wake up. I can't go without seeing you for a week or for two weeks. Okay? I can't do it. If you leave to London or Los Angeles or Paris or the freaking Moon for HPG in the middle of the night, I _need to know. _I need to be there, okay? You can't just call me and say 'oh, I'm in Istanbul.' I need to know. And I'm not going to wait four months until we're married to get that."

It was amazing how she could read his thoughts like that. "Okay, Ace," he said softly. "I'll bring you a key when I get there."

She checked the clock at her bedside. It read 10:13. "You know what? Stay in New York. I'll take a train up, okay? I'll text you when to meet me at Grand Central."

"Ace-"

"Come on, you driving all the way down is so inconvenient."

"You riding the train up by yourself is inconvenient."

"_Bye_, Logan," her tone left no room for argument. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ace."

The line went dead, and she stared at the phone for a moment. She was really going to do it. She was going to move in with Logan.

God, she really hoped he put the cap back on the toothpaste.

Groaning, she threw her phone back on the bed and went into the bathroom.

She had a hot date to get ready for.

-RL-

"Hey, April," Rory greeted her sister when she walked into the kitchen. "No one else up yet?"

April looked up, a book in one hand and a spoon in the other. It was amazing how none of the milk from the cereal was dripping onto her copy of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns.'

"Mom, Dad, Will, and Gigi are all sleeping in a pile in Mom and Dad's room. And Summer has the day off. So yeah, it's just me."

"Why are you up so early, anyways? I thought you didn't have school today?"

"I don't. But I didn't realize that until Nate texted me at six in the morning."

"Why was he up at six in the morning?"

"I...dunno. Good question." It suddenly struck April that Nate could have woken up just to let her know, but that was crazy. Why would he do that? She shoved the thought aside. "SO what are you doing today?" she asked as Rory moved around the kitchen, getting out a bowl, spoon, the cereal container, and a gallon of milk.

"I am taking the train to Yale in," Rory checked her watch after she set everything down on the kitchen island. "Twenty minutes."

"Why are you going to Yale today? I thought you guys got a day off, too."

"We do," Rory explained. "I'm going to take a train from New Haven to Grand Central, where I'm meeting Logan. We're going to go see our house and just do New York."

"Oh, the fancy-shmancy West End Avenue house?"

Rory stopped and stared at her sister in surprise. "He told you?"

"No," April replied innocently.

"You were eavesdropping," Rory accused.

"Strike two." She held up two fingers in a V shape to emphasize her point.

"Then how'd you know?"

April beckoned her sister over conspiratorially. Rory bent her head close suspiciously. "I'm psychic," April joked in a whisper.

"You're not funny," Rory said flatly, pulling back.

"I'm kidding," April laughed. "He mentioned something about the Upper West Side, and Nate said something about visiting West End Avenue. I just put the pieces together."

"How is Nate?" Rory asked. April had been referring to him in their conversations since the two of them had called a truce, and while it had started out innocently enough, there seemed to be an increasing amount of the word 'Nate' used in their conversations.

"Nate's good, why?" April asked.

Rory shrugged. "He's going to be my brother-in-law. I'm allowed to be worried about him."

"Uh huh."

"Besides, I have to make sure you never steal his car again."

"It was one time, okay? I figured he could get a ride home with the other soccer boys."

"And that worked out awesomely, didn't it?"

"Whatever," April sent her sister a nasty look. Her iPhone beeped, so she put down her spoon and the book and read the incoming text message. She started replying, fingers flying fast over the screen, but didn't look up. "You're going to miss your train if you keep staring at me. Nate says hi, by the way. And that Logan needs cufflinks. Why are you supposed to know that Logan needs cufflinks?"

"Oh, my God," Rory clapped a hand over her forehead. "I forgot to get him a Valentine's Day gift!"

"Well, Logan needs cufflinks," April said dryly. "Just buy him some from Tiffany's."

Rory ran around the kitchen, gathering her purse (which she had dropped on the counter the night before), her phone, and her jacket (which she had draped around her chair when she walked into the kitchen). "Okay, I have to leave. Don't cheat on your boyfriend with Nate," she called back as she left the kitchen. "And Happy Valentine's Day!"

Crap.

Evan.

'_You. Make. Me. Feel like I'm living a. Teen. Age. Dream-' _

Double crap. She didn't even have to look at her Caller ID to know who that was.

"_Hi_ Evan!" she said awkwardly as she picked up the phone. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

-RL-

It never ceased to amaze her how good Logan looked in _anything. _Grey, Navy Blue, White. She was pretty sure she could make him wear hot pink and he'd still look good.

Of course, the fact that they hadn't seen each other in a week _plus _the fact that they'd decided to move into together kind of justified their indecent public display of affection.

Or, at least, barely decent, since Logan had pulled her into a small crevice by the wall when they had started getting too heated.

Overcome with the need for oxygen, they pulled apart, breathing heavily. "I really missed you," she said softly, head resting on his chest.

He smirked, but she couldn't see him. "I can tell, Ace. I should go away more often."

"No," she said instantly, tightening her hold on his shirt.

He raised an eyebrow. "Ace?"

"I just...don't want you to go," she explained under his scrutiny. "My dad, he used to have to go, for college and law school. He'd come home every weekend, less in law school," she shook her head free of the thoughts. "And...it affected my mom. I mean, they made it through but,-"

"Ace," he put a finger to her lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I just-"

"Ace."

"Jess left," she blurted out suddenly.

"What?"

"Jess went to California. And Tristan went to military school and-"

"Rory, Ace, calm down. Who are these people? What do they have to do with anything."

"My ex-boyfriends."

"Uh huh," he nodded slowly, not fully understanding.

"They left in the middle of our relationship. Jess went to California to look for his dad, and Tristan went to military school...," she explained, trailing off.

"He went to military school _willingly? _You dated some keepers there."

"Well, no, but-"

"Ace," he gently lifted her chin. "I'm not moving," he repeated. "I'm the man who can't be moved."

She gasped and buried her head in his chest. "You listen to The Script?"

"I am kind of perfect," he said. "You should have expected this."

"I love you."

"If one day you wake up and find that you're missing me," he hummed.

"You'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street," she finished.

"You missed a few lines." He started humming again. "_And your heart starts to wonder where on this Earth I could be-"_

"Logan, really?"

"_Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we meet-" _he stopped and looked at her expectantly.

She sighed and reluctantly finished the rest. "_And you'll see me waiting for you, on the corner of the street."_

"See Ace! That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"That was-"

"Don't say it."

"-_so _cheesy."

"You said it," he threw his hands in the air. "Oh, Ace, what are we going to do with you?"

"Come on," she stepped out of his arms and grabbed his hands. "We have New York to see."

"You can't walk backwards in Grand Central, Ace. You're going to knock someone over."

"You have no faith in me-oh!" she stumbled backwards as she tripped over someone's rolling black bag. "You suck."

He just laughed in response.

-RL-

Lorelai wasn't surprised when she opened the front door to find Nate.

What she _was _surprised to see, though, was her daughter's boyfriend. Which was kind of ironic, really, if you thought about it.

"Hi, Mrs. Hayden," Evan smiled and stuck out his hand. "I'm Evan Pennington. April's-"

"-boyfriend," Nate finished the sentence. "This is April's boyfriend Mrs. H."

Evan seemed a little nervous, but Lorelai didn't know if that had more to do with the fact that Nate was standing right behind him, as intimidating as ever, or with meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time, when they weren't even expecting him.

"Oh hey, Evan, come on in," she said warmly. "April's told me so much about you."

Evan was surprised. "She has? Wow. I didn't know that."

Nate seemed to follow this sentiment, raising an eyebrow at her, as if to say 'Really, Mrs. H'? Lorelai shot him a look in response, unnoticed by Evan, and took their coats. "Summer's on her day off, so I'm stuck with the dirty work today. Lucky me, right?"

Evan laughed, clearly thinking this was a joke. When no one joined him, he stopped and looked at the floor awkwardly. "Uh, is April in?"

"Yeah, she's in the living room. Follow-" Lorelai watched Nate pass by her and head to the living room. "Him," she finished, pointing after the boy.

"Oi, munchkins, let's go," Nate twirled his car keys around his fingers. "We've got a full day ahead of us." Gigi and Will hadn't heard him, and he was pointedly ignoring April. She, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off of him. Chris was looking between the two, wondering if he'd missed something.

Clearly, he had.

"Hey, April," Evan stepped into the living room behind him. "Surprise."

"_Evan! _What are you doing here?" she yelped. "I mean, uh, wow. Happy Valentine's Day."

"I wanted to surprise you. We haven't seen each other for a couple weeks, so, you know. Plus, it's Valentine's Day." He gave her a shy, hopeful smile, and she smiled weakly back at him, eyes moving to Nate's stony face and then back again.

"How did you know where I lived?" she asked, trying to keep the surprise off her face.

"I had to get it from Samantha. It _is _our first Valentine's Day together," he said.

More like _only _Valentine's together, Nate thought wryly.

"That is so sweet," she got up and walked towards him. "Let me just go get dressed and then we can go." She _needed _to get out of the room. She didn't know why, but Nate's presence was suddenly unnerving, and Rory's earlier words flashed through her mind. 'Don't cheat on your boyfriend.'

This morning, she wouldn't have even thought about cheating on her boyfriend with Nate.

Then again, this morning she forgot she even had a boyfriend.

"Why don't you have a seat, Evan," Chris offered. "We can talk a little bit. I can get the chance to interrogate you while she's changing. Trust me, it can take a while."

Internally, Nate scoffed. _He _wouldn't have to be interrogated. But those were thoughts that he couldn't think right now. "Have fun, Evan," he nodded slightly, shooting the other teen a smile for good measure. "Uh, Chris, I'm just gonna take G. and Will and...go, is that okay?"

At Chris' nod, Nate called to the kids again. "Georgia, William, let's goooo!"

"Nathan!" they dropped their toys on the ground and ran to him.

"Are we gonna be with you today?" Gigi asked.

"Yep. It's Valentine's Day. Your parents get to be alone."

"What's Valentine's Day?" Gigi asked innocently.

Nate gasped exaggeratedly, looking up at Lorelai. "Really, Mrs. H. They don't know what Valentine's Day is?"

Lorelai pointed at Chris. "He's the evil one, says he doesn't want them to be _corrupted_."

"Hey, hey, come on," Chris raised his hands under Nate's scrutiny. "I just don't want Gigi to start expecting flowers every year. I'll go broke, there are _four _girls in this family, Nathaniel."

"Well," Nate crouched down in front of Gigi. "I'd send some to Gigi. I mean, Hayden girls are increasingly rare. I'd rather have the littlest one than none at all."

"What's Valentine's Day, Nathan?" Gigi asked again.

"It's a day to celebrate the one you love _with _the one you love."

"Oh. Like Rory and Logan?"

"Exactly like Rory and Logan," he said softly.

"And you and April?" Will asked, blinking rapidly, confusion etched on his face.

"No," Evan cut in. "Like...me and April."

There was an awkward moment, until Will broke it.

"Ice cream!" Will yelled happily. His mind worked in such weird ways.

"Yeah, little dude. Ice cream. Let's go get some." With one last nod at Chris and Evan, and a "Bye, Mrs. H.", he ushered the kids out the family room and into the hallway, and out the front door.

It was going to be a long day.

-RL-

It didn't hit them until they walked into Tiffany&Co. and a salesclerk instantly sidled up to them, batting her eyelashes and all, that they were_ Logan J. Huntzberger and Lorelai L. G. Hayden_ and they were _engaged_ and people _knew them. _

Because apparently their engagement announcement had run in the New York Times, and now all of America knew.

Which explained how the employees of Tiffany&Co. knew

"If you need anything, Mr. Huntzberger, and I mean _anything_," the salesclerk, whose nametag read 'Andrea', said, eyeing him up and down. "Don't hesitate to let me know."

Logan looked vaguely disturbed. Rory, on the other hand, had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"I don't believe this. I walk in to get some jewelry for my _fiancée_, _with my fiancée_, and I still get hit on."

"It's kind of cute."

"How come you're not jealous," he demanded.

"Because," she stepped in front of him and started fiddling with his tie. "You're mine."

"I'm yours?"

"All mine. I own you."

'_I own you. You have to get me coffee in the mornings, _absolutely no decaf,_ and be around to save me from my grandparents, and when one of our kids starts crying in the middle of the night _you_ can wake up.'_

"I will gladly be owned by you," he whispered before crushing his lips to hers.

She pulled back and smiled softly. "Even if you're the one on diaper duty all the time?"

"Even then."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They spent another two hours in Tiffany's, finally buying a few bangles for April and a pair of cuff links for Nate (under the guise of which Rory managed to buy a pair for Logan, too) and exited happily with their blue bags in hand. Rory's stomach growled as they pushed past the revolving door and Logan looked at her expectantly. "Wanna go eat?"

"Yes. I am absolutely starving."

"Okay," he checked his watch. "It's almost four, so we can head over to the Upper West Side, check out the house, find a restaurant, and then come back to the UES for FAO Schwartz."

"FAO Schwartz?"

"Yeah, it's this awesome toy store where I want to go to get some stuff for G and Will."

Maybe they were just in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, but all she wanted to do right then was kiss him because he was so adorable. He absolutely doted on her, not to mention her younger siblings. Not only was he so incredibly aware of her close relationship with her family, he wanted to emulate it, too. Buying things for April, taking Will and Gigi out all the time, babysitting them, having heart-to-hearts with them...he was just amazing.

And she hadn't been able to stop thinking that about him for the past month. It was as if some light had switched on suddenly, and now every day she was finding _another _reason to fall in deeper and deeper in love with Logan. She couldn't stop herself if she tried.

She didn't want to.

"I sent my papers into Columbia," she said suddenly. In the midst of all these realizations about Logan and how much he'd done for her and her family, she realized that she had to do something for _them. _"I accepted the spot at the School of Journalism. I start this fall."

He stared at her, open-mouthed. "You did what?"

"I figured, you're graduating from graduate school. I have the opportunity for further education and I shouldn't waste it because of some stupid, stubborn streak that I have. Besides, it makes sense for you to be a Times writer. You want this just as much as I do, if not more, and-"

"I'm staying at HPG," he cut her off. "You're looking at the new Chief Financial Officer of Huntzberger Publishing Group."

The wind knocked out of her. "You're joking."

"I thought _you _deserved it more than me."

"Wow."

"Wow indeed, Ace," he wrapped his arms around her. "You'd give up the New York Times for me?"

"I _did _give up the New York Times for you," she corrected lightly. "You'd stay at HPG for me?"

"I would do _anything _for you."

"So cheesy!"

"Stop saying that!"

"Stop being cheesy."

"No. You're the pepperoni to my pizza."

"Okay, that one was just weird," she laughed. "But it's kind of..."

"Kind of what?"

"Kind of like the Gift of The Magi," she looked into his eyes. She could see herself in them.

"Yeah. But not really, because we don't have to worry about not having enough money for rent, and you haven't cut off your hair, and ...would you even _wear _combs in your hair?"

"Not for all the money in the world," she responded.

"So then it's not like the Gift of the Magi at all?"

She glared at him.

He just dragged her to the nearest subway station.

-RL-

a/n: so i wanna know. what do you guys think of my writing? are Rory and Logan too OOC? what about Nate and April? Would you read the next three sequels?

REVIEW!(:


	15. Valentine's Day part deux

a/n: here's the second half of valentine's day! Im listening to death and all his friends (coldplay's fourth album) right now, and i've been up since 4:30 AM because my sleep schedule's weird due to the fact that JUNIOR YEAR SUCKS. but it's also kind of awesome, 'cuhs..we're juniors, hehehe.

okay yeah, sleep deprived, excuse meeeee.

WARNING: I may start posting in the early morning's from now on. So...you know.

let's pretend matt czuchry (and therefore Logan) are six one and not five ten.

okaaaaay! FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO PUT LINE BREAKS. :DDDD

* * *

The house was amazing.

With ten bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, a terrace, backyard, two living rooms, two offices, a library, a playroom, home theater, kitchen, dining room, and dance room all put into six floors of amazing architecture, it was a prime piece of New York property.

At $30 million dollars, it kind of had to be.

And as much as she loved it, loved the idea of it, the projections of her future children with Logan running around the house, through the rooms and up and down the staircase, chasing each other until they tumbled over, laughing, it was too much.

_Way _too much.

"No," she said firmly. "We're not buying this house."

"Yes," he replied, just as serious. "We are."

"Logan."

"Ace."

"It's too much for us!"

"How?" he asked. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him. "It's perfect for us, Ace."

"Logan, honey, we are two people," she explained slowly. "_Two." _ As if to insinuate that Logan was too stupid to count, she lifted up her first two fingers in a V-shape, and wiggled them. "Two."

"I know how to count, Ace."

"Just checking. Because I could have sworn you said six bedrooms when you first mentioned the place, and now four more have magically appeared!"

"Ace..."

"_Honey..."_

"Don't call me 'Honey'," he snapped.

"Don't buy over the top houses," she threw back. "We can live just fine in a regular three bedroom apartment in Chelsea or SoHo or the Financial District!"

"Ace, come on. Just...see it through my eyes."

"Logan," she shook her head and looked down. Then she lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "Fine. Show me."

He turned her around again, this time wrapping an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. He nudged her gently and they started to walk around. "Look," he pointed to the kitchen. "On Saturday mornings, I will cook pancakes and waffles and eggs and sausages and..."

"Or," Rory smiled softly. "You could pour a bowl of cereal. You would burn anything you'd touch."

"Are you kidding, Ace? I'd learn to cook just to impress you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he whispered in her ear. "In fact, I already have."

She whirled around. "You know how to cook?"

He nodded. "_Someone _in this family needs to know how."

Her eyes widened. "Holy cow."

"What?"

"We're going to be a family." She shook her head, trying to wrap her head around the thoughts as fast as they came. "As in, a mom and a dad-"

"See, that's you and me,-"

"And three kids."

"And a dog," he added.

"You want a dog?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course I want a dog. Who doesn't want a dog?"

Rory pretended to think. "Horrible people."

"Exactly. So anyways," he brought her attention back to the house by pointing to the large door-less room off the foyer that was the dining room. It connected to the kitchen, and both rooms had entrances from the entrance hall/ foyer. "When we have guests, we will serve them in there for dinner. The formal dining room."

"And give me one example of us using this formal dining room."

Without missing a beat, Logan said, "When April brings home a guy. I can put a mounted head up on the wall. It'll be good for intimidating whoever he is."

"You are _not _a mounted head kind of a person."

"I'm not," he agreed, looking down at her. "But I could be if that's what you wanted."

"I love _you, _Logan," she said. He rested her forehead on hers. "Don't ever change."

"If I do-"

"You _won't,"_

"_If I do, _slap some sense into me."

"Fine," she whispered. She cupped his cheek. "We are _so cheesy._"

He pulled back from her, fighting a smile. "Why do you always say that, Ace?"

She shrugged. "It's fun to torment you?"

"That hurts, Ace. I'm trying to show you our house and you keep insulting me."

"You keep getting distracted from showing me our house!"

"Okay fine. So that's the kitchen, where we will cook-" Rory snorted. Logan ignored her and continued. "-and eat. That's the formal dining room, where we will eat when we have guests. And then, to our left, we have a formal living room and my office."

"_Your _office?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"I figured if I had to bring work home with me, then I wasn't going to take it upstairs. Any business meetings I have at home, my office, right there."

"Okay."

"So you approve?"

"I approve," she said reluctantly. "But where's my office?"

"Upstairs. There's a playroom and a library on the same floor..."

"Are you serious?"

"You said you would never let a nanny raise your kids, but at the same time I knew you wouldn't compromise on your work, so..."

"Logan. That's just...you are...so amazing, you know that?"

"I do now," he grinned. "Oh and there's a bedroom right off the kitchen, with an attached bath."

"Why?"

"I think in the old days it was used for servants."

"To the next floor?"

"To the next floor!"

The top three floors of the house had three bedrooms and three bathrooms each; level three had a library, playroom, and Rory's office; and level two had the home theater, family living room, and a dance studio.

Not that anyone would ever dance, but it would be fun to skate around with just socks on.

That she was even thinking about this had to be a sign that she was crazy. But he was standing there, all smiles and dark eyes, looking...so _Logan, _that she couldn't help but send him a coy smile and run past him to the marble staircase that connected the whole house together. It _would _be kind of handy for when the kids tried to sneak out.

She wanted the house.

Even if it was really, really expensive.

"Logan." She paused. "I want the house."

He crossed over to her in a few large strides, pushing her back until they were standing at the foot of the stairs. Then he dug through his pants pocket, finally pulling something out, clenched in his hand. He told Rory to close her eyes and extend her hand, and when she opened them thirty seconds later, there was a key.

"It's ours as of yesterday."

Her eyes widened. "You bought the house?"

"Yeah. I bought the house for us."

"How did you-"

"I had a feeling, Ace. This house is going to be where April and Gigi and Nate and Will stay when they go to Columbia."

"This house is where _I'm _going to be staying when I go to Columbia?"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. With my husband."

"You have a husband?"

"I will in four months. But for right now, I have a really hot, really rich fiancé who told me he'd take me out to dinner two weeks ago to celebrate something, but then he had to go to London for two weeks."

"Is he still there?"

"No," she wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms automatically went around her waist, resting on the small of her back. "He's standing right in front of me."

"Is he now?"

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p'.

"Well, I'm sure he would love to take you out to eat right now."

"_Or_... I'm sure he would love to go upstairs."

"Upstairs," Logan repeated, heart pounding.

"I'll race you to the master bedroom."

"Ace."

"_Logan. _I'll race you to the master bedroom."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm going to run up those stairs," she nodded to the stairs behind her. "In thirty seconds. If you stand here, you automatically lose."

"I...yeah, okay. Are you sure?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

She kissed him. "Yeah. I'm positive."

"Okay," he smirked. "But you're not going to be able to keep up."

Then he kicked off his shoes, using the railing for balance. Right in front of Rory's eyes, he took off, running up the stairs at a speed faster than she thought possible.

So yeah, she lost.

Naturally.

* * *

As they passed Fruit Street, April couldn't help but look out onto the Massachusetts General Hospital campus, and imagine herself being there. To see herself as a cutting edge surgeon, saving lives, working there, it was easy to get lost in.

"Hey," Evan took his eyes off the road for a split-second to look at her. "What are you looking at?"

"The hospital," she murmured softly. "It's so beautiful."

And to her, it was. The glass ceiling of the atrium, the modern architecture, and the bronze sign built into the black wrought-iron fence. To April, it represented her future.

Suddenly, all thoughts of Columbia were forgotten. New York could be Rory's city. She wanted Boston. She'd only been there for a few hours, but she already loved it.

"It's a hospital, April."

"I know," she shook her head free of thoughts of the future. She needed to concentrate on _now._"But I...yeah, never mind."

"No, say what you were going to. If it's important to you, it's definitely important to me."

"That's so sweet of you."

"Thanks?"

Just another reason why Evan wasn't right for her. She was starting to realize, as the day went by, that the little things amounted for a lot. She didn't realize how important it had been to her that Nate had always let her choose the movie, or that he always got the extra butter on the popcorn because he knew she wanted it, or that he was more into Coldplay and Lifehouse and the Script than he was into the Top 40 music that was playing on 107.9.

And Nate wasn't so self-deprecating. When someone pays you a compliment, acknowledge it. Don't just brush it away as if it means nothing.

The words were threatening to spill out, but, looking over at Evan's smiling face, April decided she couldn't do it. Not on Valentine's Day.

That was just harsh.

Noticing her phone's red light was blinking, she saw that Nate had sent her a text. '_babysitting YOUR siblings on freaking V-day. You suck for ditching me for your stupid boyfriend. Hope he forgets the flowers.'_

'_I don't think he got me any...'_

'_He's a tool. No worries, i got georgie some. You can share with her.'_

'_You got my sister flowers? (:'_

'_Sure. you weren't around, right? Anyways, have fun on your date.'_

'_Can't. I wanna break up with him.'_

'_...not expecting that.'_

'_I feel like a bitch.'_

'_Surprise, surprise.'_

And life had officially hit a new low.

"Wanna eat Indian?" Evan asked.

Nate wouldn't even have asked.

Evan put the car into 'Park' and turned the ignition off. April hadn't even realized that they had reached a giant plaza, but they had, and it was filled with restaurants and boutiques.

She climbed out of the car. "Indian sounds _awesome_."

* * *

"So," Logan said as they walked down the street. "Where do you want to eat?"

"I dunno," Rory looked on both sides of the street. "There are a lot of choices."

They were just a few blocks away from Columbia's campus, having just visited it. It was nearing nine o'clock at night, and once their stomachs had started growling, they had both realized that it was too late to go back to New Haven, and that they'd probably have to skip class tomorrow. Rory had texted Paris letting her know of the change of plans, and Paris had replied with a hostile '_you owe me. i still hate huntzberger.' _

Lovely.

But for now, the two of them were walking the brightly lit streets of New York, Rory's left arm around Logan's waist, his right arm around her shoulders, where it was clasped with Rory's free hand. Logan cracked another joke, and Rory bent over, laughing, the hood of her down vest falling over her head. When she straightened, the purple plaid covered her hair, and she looked like an Eskimo. Looking at her sent _Logan _into a bout of hysterics, and it wasn't until she hit him and dragged him into the nearest restaurant that he realized they were out of the cold.

'Community Food&Juice', the sign said. Apparently, you could either sit alone at a booth with whomever you came with, or sit in the middle of large Community tables and socialize with those sitting around you.

"Would you like to eat alone or Community?" their waitress asked once they were inside.

"Community," Rory answered promptly, at the same time Logan said, "Alone."

The waitress looked at them. "Okay, well I'll just leave you alone to decide."

"Oh, no, that's fine; just give us a Community table."

The waitress looked to Logan for confirmation. With a roll of his eyes, he nodded. "Listen to the lady," he said.

"Thank you," Rory said to him. As she passed him to follow the waitress, he added under his breath, "That's what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life."

She didn't hear him, for which he was thankful, but he kind of meant it. That was what marriage was, though, right? Surrendering your pride and starting to really think about what another person wanted, whether it be an ice cream flavor, or how many kids to have. You were beginning the rest of your life, _with someone. _It wasn't even a new life anymore. It was a different life, a new era. New responsibilities, wants, needs, priorities.

A lot of things were going to change.

Half an hour later, he was still brooding, and Rory was sick of it.

"Stop brooding," Rory commented. Logan opened his mouth to deny, but she stuffed a fry into his mouth before he could. "Eat," she commanded. "It's good for you. It's why we're here."

"Not everyone can be you, Ace, who can eat everything that is put in front of her, and still be so tiny."

"I'm not tiny! I'm five-seven and a half!"

"You're tiny to me."

"Because you're six foot one. Everything is tiny to you."

"Not true, Ace. April's a normal sized person. Nate is a normal-sized person, Colin, Finn, Stephanie, Serena, Paris, I think maybe even Samantha..."

"Wow. Logan, that's so mean. You think I'm tiny and you think Paris Gellar is more normal sized than me? Paris is shorter than me!"

"I'm sorry, did you say Paris Gellar?"

Rory looked to the man sitting two seats away from Logan. Despite the fact that there were empty seats all around them, Logan had insisted on a compromise, saying that if she wanted to sit Community, they were going to have to sit in a secluded area. She retaliated by choosing a place that had a few empty seats around them, but nothing too empty.

Which meant that the man sitting two seats away from Logan could hear their whole conversation. And was apparently interested in Paris Gellar.

The cogs in his head already whirring, Logan, with a very distinct gleam in his eye, Rory noticed, turned to the dark-haired man. He had obviously been hunched over what looked like an extremely thick Torts book, his coffee untouched next to a plate of food with remnants of what looked like grilled chicken.

Well, at least he was eating healthy on his way to death.

"Did you say Paris Gellar?" he asked again, when neither of them answered.

"Uh, yeah," Rory said distractedly. "Why, do you know her?"

"She's an ex-girlfriend of mine, so yeah," the man said, nodding his head eagerly. "I've wanted to get in touch with her, but I can't."

"An ex-girlfriend of yours?" Rory asked incredulously. "That's not possible. Unless...Oh, my God." It clicked then. "Jamie! Jamie Davis!"

"I- Rory?"

"Yeah!"

"Rory _Hayden_?"

"Yeah. Oh, my God," Rory ran a hand through her hair. "This is so amazing." She turned to Logan. "Logan, this is Jamie Davis, Paris' high school boyfriend.

"So I hear," Logan said, extending his hand for Jamie to shake. The gleam was still in his eye, but Rory was too busy being excited about this new development to realize he was up to something. "You, sir, are my hero."

"Logan!"

"No, Rory," Jamie laughed it off. "It's okay. Yeah," he turned back to Logan. "Paris was...definitely unique. But she was Paris Gellar, you know? You don't get that back a second time. You get one shot in life, and then it goes away, and you're left wondering what happened to it and why."

"You know," Rory said softly. "She just broke up with her boyfriend."

Logan snorted at Jamie's hopeful look. "Yeah, in November. A couple days after we met, they broke up. It was a train wreck of a relationship anyways. But, really," he added. "If we're intruding on your personal business, really, just let us know."

"No, no, it's not a problem," Jamie said. Then, because by this point they had started an actual conversation and the distance was too much, he scooted over two chairs to sit next to Logan. "But, uh, not to be rude..."

"This is Logan Huntzberger," Rory supplied. "My fiancé."

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

"Logan Huntzberger," Logan extended his hand again. "Her fiancé."

"You guys are getting married?"

"And moving to New York," Rory added. "I'm starting at Columbia in the fall."

"School of Journalism?" Jamie guessed. At Rory's nod, he continued. "I'm at the School of Law."

"Impressive."

"What about you, Huntz? Heard you're at Yale School of Business?"

"...whoa."

"It was in this month's People magazine."

Rory turned to Logan in surprise, a forkful of mashed potatoes halfway to her mouth. "I didn't know you were in People magazine this month."

Logan shrugged. "Neither did I." Then, to Jamie, "Why were you even reading People."

"Younger sister forced it upon me; she's trying to get me to expand my horizons. But, uh they mentioned Yale and then talked about some famous people currently attending." His phone started beeping then, and when he checked the time, he panicked.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I really have to go. I have a night class..." Jamie apologized.

"No, no problem. I understand."

"Hey you know what? Give me your number; I'll pass it on to Paris."

"Will you really?" Jamie asked enthusiastically. "That'd be great. Thanks."

"No problem."

"If you're going to be around this neighborhood, Jamie, we should do this more often," Rory offered. "Maybe even have dinner at our place sometimes."

Jamie nodded. "I'd like that. Call me, we'll set something up. I'm sorry," he checked his watch again. "I really do have to go though."

Twenty minutes later, Jamie, and everyone else in the restaurant, was gone, so Logan decided to get up and go pay. As they walked out of the restaurant, Logan broached the subject. "So we should do a little matchmaking."

Rory shifted her head to look up at him. "What kind of matchmaking?"

"Well, you know how Paris hates me?"

"...yeah."

"I think I know how to get her to _love _me."

"...I'd really rather she not do that."

"Oh, come on Ace. Okay, I'd rather she not hate me."

"Much better," Rory stated. "And how do you plan on doing this?"

"We met this guy earlier, and he gave me this idea."

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned around to face him, hands on her hips. "Jamie, really? That's such a bad idea."

"It is not!" Logan protested. "Let me just play Cupid for a bit, get myself off the hook with Paris, make my new friend happy...it's a win-win-win situation."

"Meddling doesn't get people anywhere."

"Emily got us together."

"We are clearly the exception that proves the rule."

"Ace."

"Logan," she said warningly.

"Ace," he reached for her hand. "Don't you want Paris to want this? Want what we have? A nice, warm body to come home to every day, someone to share troubles and joys and-"

"Don't emotionally blackmail me! I don't think this is a good idea."

"You live in a closed box," Logan stated. "We need to fix that."

"There is nothing wrong with living in a closed box!" she said. They had clasped hands again, and had started walking back towards their house.

_Their house._

A house they legally owned and had already...

ahem, christened...

Almost every room of.

She almost blushed just thinking about it, but then remembered that they were in the middle of an argument, and Logan was hell-bent on getting Paris back together with her ex. And maybe it would have been a good idea to get Paris a boyfriend, especially now, when she needed a punching bag and someone to talk to and give her pep talks at the end of the day.

Getting into med school was no joke.

So then maybe re-introducing Paris and Jamie wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Her judgement probably wasn't helped any by Logan's smirk, which she (somewhat twistedly) loved just a little bit more than his actual smile, and the promise of finishing off the _rest _of the rooms when they got back home, but she eventually found herself reluctantly nodding at her fiancé. "Fine," she nodded resignedly. She raised her index finger and pointed it at him. "But you can only give her his number, not exchange a meeting and chaperone it or anything."

"Just exchanging numbers," he smiled indulgently. "You got it."

"I'm not happy about this," she said as they continued down the street.

"It's a good idea."

"No, it's a really bad one."

"Scratch that. It's an _amazing ide- OW, Ace!'_

a/n: so i know this is shorter than i promised, but im falling asleep and NEED. TO. GET. THIS. POSTED.

and i really really reaaaly want fifteen reviews.

forgive the mistakes, im sorry

OH i started the sequel! It's called "These Games We Play", and I should have quite a few of the chapters for that done once TCR is complete, so yeaaaah. It takes place when April is 26, so nine years from now, and Gigi is 19 and Will is 17. I changed the ages a little bit, just to make it all fit a reasonable timeline.

Pairings: Rory/Logan, Lorelai/Chris, Lily/Gray, April/?, Gigi/?, Nate/?

REVIEW!(;


	16. Chasing Pavements

a/n: SORRY, it's the shortest chapter in a really long time, it's only 2,595. But I saw fit to end the chapter where it was, and I feel Writer's Block coming on, so I wanted to get out one chapter before that kicked it. I figured out the basic plot for the sequel by the waaaaay! And don't worry, THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. So, what happens in this chapter doesn't have anything to do with the 265 character summary I'm giving you guys at the end of the chapter.

EIGHTEEN REVIEWS? AWESOMENESS!

Disclaimer: Don't own Gilmore Girls.

REVIEW!(:

-RL-

"Battle: Los Angeles?"

"Eh."

"Hall Pass?"

"No."

"Gnomeo and Juliet?"

"_No."_

"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," he said with a straight face.

"Oh, _hell no_. Be serious," she slapped his chest with the back of her hand. He grabbed it and pulled her closer, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around to face the list of movies.

"You need to pick one," he said, voice full of amusement. "People are standing behind us."

"_I told you_, The King's Speech."

"And I told _you. _I'm not going to waste money so that you can sit there and stare at Colin Firth and contemplate how amazing he is for two whole hours."

"You have such an ego," she said amusedly.

"Excuse me for not wanting you to stare at another guy while we're at the movies."

"I think it's kind of sad that you're low on self-esteem."

"You're kind of sad. I bet your next suggestion is going to be I Am Number Four."

"What the- _how did you know that?"_

He shrugged. "I am not immune to the hotness of Alex Pettyfer."

She stared. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"Oh, my God, are you trying to tell me something?"

"No."

"Seriously, I won't judge you."

"Good, because there's nothing to be judged."

"Okay," she said disbelievingly.

"Okay."

"Pick a movie."

"Let's compromise. Matt Damon's decent, Emily Blunt is fucking _hot, _and neither of us is in the mood to watch Adam Sandler shack up with Jennifer Aniston, so..."

"The Adjustment Bureau it is," she agreed.

Ten minutes later, they were settling into their seats at the top of the theater. Despite the fact that there were still fifteen minutes before the movie was scheduled to play, the theater was almost completely full. Apparently, they weren't the only ones who wanted to get out of studying for the tests that were looming ahead of them.

"So," he said as he settled back into his seat. "How's life."

She ignored his question, instead reaching over to the bag of popcorn in his lap, not taking her eyes off of the screen. "I don't understand why they have E! Trivia. No one cares that Liv Tyler didn't know her dad was the lead singer of Aerosmith."

"I do," he disagreed. "Talk about bad romantic comedy."

"Nate, shut up."

"Fine." He was silent for a few moments, fully intending to do as she asked, but then he had to ask. "How are you?"

She looked over at him, "It's been three weeks, dude. I'm fine, I was the one who wanted to end it anyways."

"Come on, Hayden, you don't have to hide anything from me."

"Nate," she turned to him, exasperated. "If there was something wrong with me, I'd tell you. You _know _I'd tell you."

"I know, it's just that today's Saturday, and I literally had to fight you tooth and nail just so you would come."

"You could have gone with Sam," she reminded him. "It's not my fault you're so stubborn."

"Sam comes with Neil. They're, like, a package deal. They don't go _anywhere _without the other. It's kind of annoying."

"But he's your best friend."

"And so is she, but that doesn't mean I want to go watch a movie with them and end up being the only one who doesn't have someone to make out with."

"Uh huh," she gave him a sly look. "So is that why you're here with me?"

His heart dropped into his stomach. "To make out with you?" he said weakly. "No."

"So you wouldn't want to make out with me?" she asked, smirk playing at her lips. She was clearly teasing him, but he was too busy wondering if she'd finally figured out his feelings for her to realize that she hadn't.

"Of course I would," he blurted out. When her eyes widened, he amended, "Not that I think about it. But...you know, you're beautiful and I could do a lot worse." Embarrassed, he ducked his head.

She bit her lip, hiding a smile. "Nate, that's sweet." She had the sudden urge to kiss him, something that had been happening a lot in the past two weeks. It was as if she had broken up with Evan only to realize that she was falling hard and fast for Nate.

"Always the tone of surprise."

"Never," she teased.

The lights dimmed then and he shushed her loudly. Instead of shutting up, she just laughed loudly. "This is the part where you pretend to yawn and then put your arm around me."

He faked an exaggerated yawn, the slowly put his arm around April. She was looking at him with mirth-filled eyes the whole time, eyebrows raised, as if to say 'really?'. He simply smiled and shrugged. Then the screen went blank, and the last thing he saw before the movie started was April rolling her eyes.

As she lifted the arm rest and snuggled into the crook of his arm, he found himself concentrating more on her scent than the promo for the new Pirates movie.

"What perfume are you wearing?" he whispered into her hair, eyebrows furrowed.

"Vera Wang Princess. Now shut up, it's starting."

At least now he knew what to get her for her birthday.

Vera Wang Princess was _expensive. _Win.

-RL-

"So apparently they're back together," Rory said, referring to Paris and Jamie. She was walking around campus when she had spotted Logan at a coffee cart ten yards away. By the time she reached him, he already her coffee order. After taking a sip and swallowing, she said, "Hey this is good."

"Isn't it? I think I'm going to miss Yale's coffee the most."

"What about me," she said as they started walking. "You should miss me the most."

"You're coming with me, Ace," he said casually, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Not for that last month. Your last class is in April, I don't get to leave until the end of May."

"We'll deal with that when we get to it. So I talked to my dad."

"About?"

"The New York Times. I basically blew up at him saying that he needs to stop 'helping' us, because him doing us a favor almost tore us apart."

"He had good intentions."

"The road to hell is paved with 'em."

"Logan!"

"Seriously Ace. Do you know how serious you looked when you said you didn't want to deal with the obstacle that the NY Times posed in our relationship? It scared the hell out of me."

"He just wanted to give us an opportunity. And a little competition never hurt anyone," Rory defended.

"Yeah, you say this _now. After _you wanted to break up with me because you didn't want to fight me. _After _we both made other plans for our future."

"I just think you're being a little hard on him."

"My father and I have a very complicated relationship."

"I can tell."

"I'm allowed to be hard on him."

"I know," she said. "Logan, I know this, okay? I know everything about you, from the fact that you're wearing mismatched socks today because you were in a hurry this morning, to the fact that you think I'm just saying all this to make you feel better." She stopped them in the middle of the hallway and turned face him, placing her hands on his chest. "I know all of that. And you need to understand that I know all of these things and that I'm going to talk to you about them. I'm going to be the one person that you are not allowed to hide things from or lie to, okay?"

"I just- I'm not-" he stopped frustratedly, running his hands through his hair. "I've never been in love before, I don't know what comes with the territory. I'm sorry. I know I said I'm willing to try- and I still am," he added hastily, upon seeing the look on her face. "I am very much in love with you, Ace, I _always _will be, but...I don't know how to do the serious stuff. I can buy you what you want and what you need and I can hug you and kiss you and take you dinner, and I can say the words _because I mean them_, but I don't know about the...talking... and stuff."

"Logan," she said softly.

"No, I'm not done! Okay, I tell Colin and Finn _some _things, and Honor and Nate and Derek a lot more things because they're my family, but I don't tell any one person _everything. _I never have."

"Well you're starting now," she said fiercely. "Because I want to be there for you, Logan. If we fight and you end up at a bar, and you have to call someone to come pick you up, _I need to be that phone call._ It doesn't matter if you think I'm going to yell at you, you need to know that I'm going to come get you."

"I know."

"So then? You have no problems trusting me?"

"I've never had any problems trusting _you_. I've just never really trusted _anyone._"

"We'll work on it," she promised. "After all, we've got a lot of time."

Just like that, the tension was diffused. Seeing Rory standing in front of him, hearing her say that she'd be _it _for him, that one person he'd have all the time, it made him feel really, really good.

Like he had something to fight for. And then he fully understood what his younger cousin had been trying to tell him all along, '_Once you have Rory, that's going to be it for you. And if you ever have to, you'd fight harder than you ever fought before._'

Nate was smarter than he looked sometimes. As they started walking again, hand in hand, Logan brought up the subject. "What do you think of getting your Grandma to set up Nate, too."

"Uhh," Rory looked up from her iPhone. "I think a lot of people might be unhappy with that."

"Why? Nate deserves a little happiness." 

"And he's found it," she looked up at him curiously, unclasping their hands for a moment to put her phone back in her pocket. "Why, where'd the thought come from?"

"I was thinking of something he told me. That, I'd fight harder for you than anything else, and it got me thinking," he answered honestly.

"He told me something like that, too, actually."

"What?" Logan looked at her in surprise. "What are you talking about, Ace."

"I was scared to tell you that I loved you-"

"...naturally..."

"-and he was the one that more or less told me that happiness was right there, waiting for me to grab it. That you would fight for me. Because you wanted something to fight for, and I was the type of girl worth fighting for," she said slowly. "That's actually kind of deep."

"He's always been perceptive."

"As opposed to you?"

"I _always _notice things, Ace. Like how good your legs look in these shorts."

"Logan!"

"Just kidding. But really, he'd do well in politics." 

"I thought he wanted to go into medicine."

"Depends on what he decides to major in at Stanford, I guess."

"Stanford?"

"Yeah, didn't he tell you? He got accepted early decision. His fate's been sealed since December."

"Wait, what?"

"Caused quite a bit of uproar in the family, actually. Our legacy is here, and the DuPont legacy is Harvard, but...he just really loves Palo Alto."

"Does April know?"

"'Course. He's got to have told her, right?"

Right.

-RL-

The hard part about watching a movie with the girl you liked, Nate realized, was that it could become into a date _way _too easily, especially if a) you were close friends and b) she liked you back.

He wasn't completely sure about the latter, but... option A kind of sucked.

"So," she stretched her arms as they walked out of the theater. "Not that I didn't enjoy the break time from studying for APs, but what exactly are we celebrating here?"

"It's mid-March," he reminded her. "Mid-March is celebratory season for Seniors because we now know where we are going to college, and no longer give a damn about school."

"That's brilliant, Nate. If your goal is to make me hate you, consider it a job well done."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes. You got college acceptances. That's great for you. Now you have another two months to decide where you're going to go, while I stay home and study. Constantly. Until mid-May. You suck."

"April," he pulled her into the nearest store, Yogurtland. "I have big news."

"How big? Like, sliced bread, big, or like Inception big?"

Nate paused. "What's the difference?"

"Sliced bread is 'I got a new pair of shoes for half off!'. Inception is...well, Inception."

"Oh," he said. "Definitely Inception big."

"Okay," she said, excitement growing. They moved forward in line, bowls of yogurt getting more full as they progressed. "What is this news?"

Nate held down the lever for the Red Velvet, brow furrowed in concentration. "I'm going to college." 

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Okay, Ms. Impatience. Let me just pay and then we'll sit down somewhere and I'll tell you."

"Fine."

Five minutes later, after going through an excruciatingly long line, they finally found an empty table in the crowded food court. As April took her first bite of yogurt, Nate blurted out, "I got into Stanford."

April choked. "I'm sorry...what?"

"Stanford University."

"In Palo _Alto?"_

"Yeah," he burst out, grinning widely. "I'm so excited. I...just. I thought I'd be going to Harvard or Yale. And then I applied to Stanford early decision and I got in, but it wasn't binding, so my dad said he wasn't going to pay for it, because it's not our legacy. But then I just found out that I'm eligible for a full ride. Academic scholarship. I feel kind of bad, because my dad can _actually _pay for it, and I'm probably taking it away from someone who deserves it a lot more than I do but _I'm going to Stanford."_

She suddenly didn't have the appetite for ice cream anymore.

She felt like she was going to throw up.

"Palo Alto's um...3,000 miles away from here."

"Right," he said slowly. "But you haven't applied..anywhere yet, so I mean..."

"Nate," she whispered. If she spoke any louder than that, she was going to cry. "I'm going to Boston. I got into MIT, in their Early admissions thing. They let Juniors apply, so I did, and I'm starting as a freshman at MIT fall of 2012."

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

"When was this?"

"Um, two days before I met you?"

"Holy crap."

"Yeah."

"So that's it then? For the next five years, we're going to be 3,000 miles away." 

"Right," April blinked, trying to figure out a way to bring this conversation back on track. "But you're still my best friend," she consoled. Not that she knew if it was for her benefit or his. "And that doesn't change."

But it kind of did, because she liked him and he liked her and no one actually had to say anything, because...it just _was. _They had gone out together and watched movies at home and snuggled and...

How was it that she didn't even realize how much she actually _needed _him until he was going too far away to be around?

Was one boy even worth the pain?

-RL-

**These Games We Play: **

"You said no."

"But you walked away."

April Hayden and Nate DuPont have always had a complicated relationship. This time around, it's not much different.

**a/n: **does it sound interesting? hehehe

REVIEW!(:


	17. Love is friendship on fire

a/n: So i was watching this indian TV show about, funnily enough, two characters that have an arranged marriage. and now theyre finally in love, and the girl's sister and the boy's cousin are falling in love, too.

sound familiar?

it freaked me out, but no worries, i didn't steal the plot! I promise! The series started airing AFTER i started writing the story.

anyways, hope you guys like this chapter. i have a math test tomorrow, so im posting today. When i get out of math tomorrow, im going to check my inbox, and if i failed my test, the reviews will make me feel better.

so yeah. REVIEW! (:

geesh i can't believe it's chapter 17! only a few more chapters peeps. :D

* * *

"Okay, really?" April asked the world at large. Only Nate was paying attention though. "That's like...the ninth time in the last ten minutes we've seen two people holding hands."

"Don't hate on them because they're happy, Hayden," Nate replied, attention focused on the book in his hand. "You think I should get this one?" In his hands was a Sarah Dessen novel, Lock and Key. And while Nate had an eclectic taste in just about _everything_, the look in his eyes told her that he was silently mocking her. "I think I'm _in_ it..."

Or not so silently, she thought as she walked over to him and yanked the book out of his hands. "Has anyone ever told you you're funny?"

"Loads of people," he said, brushing past her to browse at another shelf. "Why?"

"Well, they all lied."

"All of them?"

"_Every. Single. One_," she confirmed.

"So you've lied to me?"

"No. I would never lie to you, Nate," she said honestly. When she couldn't find anything interesting, she sidled up to him. The minute she did, though, she could smell his Ralph Lauren Polo Black.

This was kind of a problem, because that made Nate, with his green eyes, slightly curly black hair, and lean build, even more attractive. It didn't help that he was wearing his usual after school garb- the light blue button down and navy blue tie mandated by Chilton, with an American Apparel black hoodie and jeans.

Nate looked really good in a tie.

Nate looked good in _anything. _

The scent just added to that overall look of his. The geeky-prep complication. Or something.

Because there was no other way to describe Nate than 'Nate', just like the only word to describe _her_ was 'April'.

God they were complicated.

It was finally Friday again, and after that last outing at the mall, things were just starting to get back to normal. After he had dropped her home that night (a parting that involved sitting in his car for five minutes silently before she had the guts to kiss him on the cheek and get out and go inside), he had gotten a call from his mother saying that his sister had gone into labor, and he needed to be there.

In London.

He had taken the earliest flight out that he could, and hadn't been able to talk to April the whole time he was there, considering one of them was always sleeping or in class, and in that two hour period he had at night when he _could _call her, he was at the hospital with his godson.

Yes, his godson. Because Emerson and Thomas had decided that Nate was going to be godfather, not because they thought the baby would be completely healthy and happy if raised by Nate in the event of their deaths. Oh no. They did it because they were _that _sure that nothing would happen to them, and it might have had something to do with the fact that Nate had an inferiority complex because of Derek, and living across an ocean wouldn't help him become the favorite uncle.

But anyways, he had gotten back last Sunday and had then crashed, sleeping for the next two days straight. When April finally saw him on Wednesday, she hugged him and gave him a homemade card with a picture of him and baby Louis (that Derek had sent to Logan, who had, in turn, sent it to April). "For when you _want _to go back, but can't."

It took every effort for him not to kiss her just then.

It took every effort for _her _not to kiss him just then.

They had settled into this relationship limbo where everyone _thought _they were together, and they _wanted to be _together, but they were both adamant that there were reasons why it _shouldn't _happen, and so it didn't. Or at least, April was adamant, and Nate was going out of his way to make her see sense. Whenever she least expected it, he'd make a bitter or sarcastic comment, clearly showing how unhappy he was with this arrangement.

"Hey, look at this," Nate turned to April, pulling a book off the shelf. "Love Is Friendship Set _On Fire: _a collection of quot-"

"Oh for God's sake, Nathan," April said angrily, reaching up to grab the book out of his hand. "Can we not do this?"

"We're not doing anything," he replied innocently. "Why must you over-analyze everything?"

"Because you always mean something different than what you say!"

"Which must mean I _have _a reason to make backhanded comments, right?" he asked, smirking.

She averted her gaze. "Nate, I am not having this conversation with you." She turned to leave, placing the Sarah Dessen book back on the shelf, away from the seclusion of that particular corridor. Sometimes, she really hated Borders' floor plan.

He followed her, catching up to her in three languid strides. "Explain this to me."

"Explain _what _to you, Nathan?"

"This limbo thing we're in!"

"We're not in limbo."

"Clearly, you're in denial."

"Clearly you're looking for things that don't exist." She was heading for the exit now, having completely bypassed the Young Adult section. She always went by the Young Adult section, no matter how much of a hurry she was in.

Which meant that right now, she really needed to get out.

Which meant he was _on to something. _

He was _getting somewhere._

"I dunno. When we're young, we're told that when girls are mean to you, they like you. Let's stop for a second and count every mean thing you've done to me since we met."

"Oh you've _got _to be kidding me!" She ran out of the sliding doors and across the sidewalk, stopping right before the road. Unfortunately, she couldn't get to her car until the light farther down the road went red and the cars stopped coming, and since it was motion-sensor based and there were a lot of cars, she would likely have to stop and listen to everything Nate was saying that she didn't want to listen to.

"Actually no you're right," he smirked, deadpanning. "It would probably take longer than a second."

She looked helplessly to the road in front of her, and then moved her gaze to Nate. "Shut up. Please."

He ignored her. "You argued with me in front of the school parking lot, you then got me in trouble for almost killing you, you had a fight with me on New Year's, you _stole my car,_" he accused. She turned red. "Face it, Hayden, you like me."

"And if I deny it?" her eyes were boring holes into his.

"I could kiss you right now and your denial would go out the window," he said matter-of-factly.

"You could," April bit her lip. "Or you could listen to what I have to say."

"And what do you have to say?"

She was silent for a moment, thinking deeply. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have twice. "I don't _do _relationships, Nate. I don't do relationships, and I just think monogamy is _stifling, _okay? When I was 'with' James, if you can even call that a _relationship_, I would think about other guys. How, maybe, _something_ could have been better. Or maybe I'd walk into at an MUN conference and I'd see a guy and hope that he'd ask for my number. And then he would and I'd hate for it to actually lead to anything because that would end up being long-distance. Not to mention, the whole time I was with Evan, I couldn't stop thinking of _you!"_ she burst out. "I can't do it," she shook her head wildly. "I'm just not...especially not with... you're going to Stanford, Nate," she said helplessly. "I can't be in a relationship with someone who is three _thousand _miles away from me."

"You didn't tell me," he said quietly, voice laced with steel. His eyes were flashing angrily, completely the opposite of April's, whose eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "You didn't tell me that you had the rest of your life planned, or that you're going to MIT, or _anything. _You don't think about anyone else, April. Ever. You think...," he paused. "You think I enjoy this? Falling for a girl who continuously made me the bad guy, who fought with me all the time, _stole my car_, even," he scoffed. "You think this is easy for me? To just stand here and watch you cry? I don't know whether to yell at you for how stupid and masochistic you're being or just...walk away and not give a damn."

"Nate..."

"No," he said furiously. "This isn't you. You don't just stand around and cry, April. You've never been that type. Ever. So if this little pity party you're throwing was created with the intention of making me feel guilty, then let me tell you that you're doing a really bad job. All it's done is make me really, really mad at you."

"Just stop being an asshole, Nate," she spit out bitterly. Then she turned around and started walking away from him.

"No," he yelled at her back. "You don't get to walk away. Not this time."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she stopped and turned to face him again.

"You always walk away, April."

"Are you joking?" she stared at him. "You have got to be kidding me."

He pointed at her and then clenched his fist, trying to compose himself. "You always walk away. You're a runner. When things scare you, you run."

"You're _insane," _she told him scornfully. "I don't _run. _My mother runs, Rory..._Rory _runs. I don't run, Nate, I face my problems."

"So face this one."

"I have," she yelled. "I already told you, I'm not doing this."

"Here's the thing, April," he rolled his eyes in irritation. "There are times when things are out of your control."

"I know that!"

"No, you don't," he said fiercely. "Because you never bother to think about others."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Like...other people's feelings. You just never...try to see. But clearly you're too wrapped up in your own feelings right now, so when you figure them out, come find me."

He didn't wait for her to answer, but instead stepped down onto the road and started walking towards the row of cars where he'd parked his Mercedes. When she saw what he was doing, she was torn between walking the other way or running after him.

Until she realized that was exactly what he wanted from her.

He had left her standing there in front of Borders, completely speechless.

And _then _she realized she was screwed.

* * *

"Your sister," Logan said to Rory as he set the groceries on the counter. "Is a runner."

"What do you mean?"

"She runs from things."

"Everyone runs from things."

"From love?"

"She's seventeen, she doesn't want to get her heart broken," Rory defended. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"It hurts people."

"I'm a runner," she said, leaning back on the counter so she could face him.

"No," he put his arm around her waist. "You _were _a runner. Now you're a stayer. You stay. You don't run anymore."

"What can I say," she teased, gesturing around the apartment. "How can I think of running when I live in an awesome apartment like this?"

"You stay 'cause of the apartment?" he murmured, moving closer.

"Of course. Why else?"

"That super hot, really rich fiancé you mentioned earlier."

"Oh," Rory said, leaning in closer. "Is he an incentive?"

"Yeah." And then he captured her lips with his own, one hand on her waist, the other cupping her face. She leaned forward, hands automatically going up to his hair. He backed her up again, and when she bumped into the counter, she pulled away for a moment and then pulled herself up so she was sitting down. Then she pulled at his tie, and he stepped between her legs. She leaned down again, covering his lips with hers.

He pulled away all too soon. "I love you."

She looked surprised. "I love you, too, Logan."

"Do you want to marry me?"

"Are you seriously asking me that in the middle of this?"

"I just...I have to know, Ace," he said sheepishly.

"Why?"

"It's a long story," he admitted. "One that I don't really want to tell right now."

"Okay well you did interrupt a makeout session to _talk, _so now talk."

"Makeout session? What are we, back in high school now, Ace?"

"What else do you want to call it?" she was blushing wildly. "It is what it is."

"I like when you blush," he said with mirth-filled eyes. "You don't blush that much anymore."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I guess being with you just made me more...confident."

"Being with you changed me, too."

"Yeah, you're actually a one-woman man, now. What happened to your pride, Huntzberger?"

"I fell in love," he told her honestly. "But that's why I'm asking you. Six months, Rory. We've known each other for six months, and we're getting married at the end of June. Are you sure you want to marry me?"

"You know I want to marry you, Logan. I don't care how long we've known each other. I mean, I'm a planning person. I make plans. I plan the rest of my life, and now I can't do that without you there."

"You factored me in?" he asked, surprised. "There's never been a doubt in your mind that we're not going to work out?"

"No. Of course not. Why would you even ask that?"

"I've never done this before," he confessed. "And no one's ever trusted me the way you do now and I just...it's like this feeling that I'm going to disappoint you."

"You couldn't do that if you tried."

"I could. I could and I will, and then you're going to realize you _don't _love me, and then you'll go find a guy who has better credibility than I do."

She snorted. "Credibility? Logan, this is a relationship, not business or politics. I don't care if I'm your first girlfriend, the fact that you're making the effort to try means so much more. It makes me feel special. I've already told you this."

"It's easy to forget that."

"Well it shouldn't be. I've already told you, no matter _what _you're feeling, ever, you can tell me."

"I don't want to go through with a big wedding."

It felt like someone had punched her in the guy. "What?" she asked weakly. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to marry you," he said hastily. "I just...our families are going to invite everyone they possibly can. Do you think we can get Lorelai and Chris involved in the wedding planning?"

"You want to get my dad involved in planning a wedding?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Okay, yeah, maybe just Lorelai."

She was silent. "Is this you proposing to me? For real? Because _you _want to?"

"No."

"Wait, what?"

"When I propose to you, it will be something special."

"This is special," she told him softly. "I've got you and you've got a ring and we're in _our _apartment. I don't like big. This is special."

"How do you know I have a ring?"

"Because I could feel the ring box when you were pressed up against me."

"Note to self," he said to her, eyes twinkling. "Never make out with your girlfriend when you're about to propose."

"That is a bad idea," she agreed. "How _dare _you, Huntzberger?"

"There's no fun in doing it now that you know," he laughed. "I wouldn't do that to you, Ace. I'm going to spring it on you. Spontaneous. That's what I do."

"Well, I do small," she crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. A smile was still playing at her lips, though, so he knew she wasn't mad.

"Then we'll compromise."

"You could just propose to me now."

"There's no fun in that!"

"You've done a lot of spontaneous things, Logan! You bought us a house without me even knowing. Can we please do this my way?"

"You want me to propose to you, right here, right now?"

"Yes," she said emphatically. "Because I know that you already proposed to me at Thanksgiving, but..."

"That wasn't the same," he finished. "I know. I feel the same way."

"I know you do! Logan, I know that, okay? It's just...I'm so sick of this being a family thing! I mean, this is a relationship between you and me and everyone else needs to just butt _out. _ I just for _once _want some part of this relationship to go _my _way, you know? My grandparents set us up, and my sister got us to kiss, and Nate got me to confess I was in love with you, and you bought us a house, and _I did nothing. _I just stood there and let everything happen. Why is everyone always meddling, it's not fair!"

"You told me you loved me first," he told her. "Remember?"

"But that doesn-"

"Will you marry me, Rory Hayden," he interrupted her.

She let out a wistful sigh as he got down on one knee in their kitchen floor, and laughed when he almost lost his balance trying to pull the ring out of his inside jacket pocket. "God, it's amazing how I'm smooth with all the ladies except _you," _he muttered.

"Face it, oh _Master and Commander,_" she teased. "I make your knees weak."

"That you do, Ace. That you do. So let's give this one more shot." He pulled the box open and presented it to her. "I've done this once before already, but it was in front of our families and it was just for their benefit. But this, right now, is me kneeling on our kitchen floor, sacrificing my dignity and my favorite pair of jeans for you. Rory Gilmore-Hayden, _Ace_, I love you. I loved you before I even knew I loved you. You changed me, made me a better person, and you've given me _everything _I've ever asked for and more. You're my best friend now," he laughed lightly. "And I need you in my life. So, and I'm asking you this of my own free will," he clarified. "Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Oh, my God, _yes._" He straightened as she jumped off the counter right into his arms. "I've wanted to say yes since you kneeled on the ground."

"We're getting married, Ace," he murmured, leaning down to meet her lips. "We're actually going to do it."

* * *

In the midst of all the drama, Honor had gone into labor. Josh had been too busy freaking out to realize that there were certain family members he needed to call, and Honor was too busy...going into labor to realize that Josh hadn't let anyone know.

It wasn't until she had been ten centimeters dialated and the doctor asked if she had anyone other than her husband with her that she realized that her parents and brothers weren't there. Needless to say, she was furious.

Josh ended up sending a mass text to everyone before the first contraction, and the Huntzbergers, Nate, and Rory showed up at the hospital within the hour.

It didn't matter though.

Honor was in labor for the next fourteen.

Sometime around six AM Sunday, when the only ones left in the waiting room were the Huntzbergers and Nate (Logan had sent Rory home to get a shower and some sleep), Josh came out of Honor's room and called in Mitchum and Shira to meet their grandson for the first time. Logan got out his phone to text Rory, and she replied instantly, saying she was already on her way to the hospital.

As he watched his parents disappear into his sister's room, Logan posed a question to Nate. "So what was that text about earlier?"

"It's nothing," Nate mumbled, leaning back and closing his eyes. This was the second time in two weeks that he was waiting for the birth of a nephew, and with the rest of the drama going on in his life, he had no time to sleep.

"Didn't sound like nothing," Logan said, following suit.

"She's just...being April."

"No, she's being a Gilmore."

"Hayden?" Nate asked, opening one eye.

"Gilmore," Logan corrected. "Apparently the trend of running away from love started with Lorelai's grandmother Trix."

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"That is horrible," Nate stated. "And...sad. And pathetic. And a whole lot of other adjectives that I'm sure I'd be able to think of if I wasn't half-asleep."

"I'm sorry, I just...You and _April_," Logan said, shaking his head. "I did not see that coming."

"She kind of reeled me in at that first meeting. I mean, I was driving a black Merc. I have emerald green eyes! I'm like a mixture of Darcy and Chace Crawford or whatever."

"Interesting description..."

"Thanks, Samantha helped me with the Chace Crawford thing."

"No, it's okay, I can't judge. Rory made me endure a Gossip Girl marathon one time."

"_She did what?"_

"I meddled in Paris and Jamie's love life," Logan explained. "It was my punishment."

"Interesting relationship you've got there."

"There's something about those Gilmore Girls that gets to you."

Nate sighed and checked his watch. "Yeah. Look I should go." He stood up and rubbed his eyes, then picked up his jacket.

"What about, you know...?" Logan asked worriedly, gesturing to Honor's room. "You've got a nephew to meet."

"She's probably tired," Nate waved it off. "And-"

"And nothing," Rory interrupted as she approached them. "You're his uncle, too, Nate. Here," she handed them each a cup of coffee.

"When did you get here, Ace? I thought I told you to go home."

"I came back," she replied. "I've got a nephew to meet. And a brother-in-law to keep alive, apparently. You look like the dead," she added to Nate.

He accepted the Starbucks Grande gratefully. "I love you. Seriously."

She bit back a smile. "Don't let my sister hear you say that."

He nearly dropped the cup. "What?"

"Nothing," she sang.

"No, Rory, seriously, what did she say?"

"We had a good talk last night. You should expect her to barge into your room sometime later today."

His heart dropped to his stomach, and he was instantly nervous. "Is that a good thing?"

"I don't know," his sister-in-law took a sip of her coffee. "You'll have to wait and find out."

"You know what," Nate dropped back down into his seat, suddenly awake. He hunched over and started playing with the cardboard sleeve, labeled BIL. "I'll wait. I have a nephew to meet, after all."

"Yeah," Logan clapped his shoulder in support. "And you don't want to sit at home and read A Separate Peace while you wait for April."

"I only read that book when I'm brooding."

Logan simply raised an eyebrow in response.

"So what'd they name him?" Rory asked.

"Cameron Edward Montgomery."

"Poor kid," Nate shook his head. "He's going to have a lifetime of teasing to look forward to."

* * *

She tried to hold out for as long as she could, but then Rory came home from the hospital to shower after staying there overnight, and April somehow ended up spilling her guts out to her sister.

It had taken Rory approximately thirty seconds to tell her that she was in love with Nate, and that she was being stupid for living in denial, and she was causing herself a lot more pain.

Somehow, Rory made a lot more sense than Nate did. Or maybe it was just that Nate tried to refrain from talking down to her, but Rory had no qualms about outright sharing the fact that she thought her sister was being stupid.

So three hours after Rory texted her saying Nate was home from the hospital, she found herself explaining her presence to the Huntzberger maid. No one else was home, and it was understandably suspicious that she wanted to see Nate when she knew the fact, but Denise was sweet and understanding and, after asking if she'd like some snacks (which April denied), let her go upstairs.

Which was how she found herself standing in front of a large, intimidating, mahogany door with the word 'Nathan' carved into it in childlike handwriting. She found it endearing, especially since it had obviously been done when he was younger, before he had undergone his transformation to become the person he was now.

She kind of wished she was five again. Back then, the teenage boys she hid from weren't in love with her.

Assuming Nate _was_ in love with her.

She knocked on the door lightly, but when no one answered, she wrenched the door open and quietly crept in. She'd never been in his room before, and entering it for the first time when he was sound asleep and snoring quietly didn't calm her fears.

The first thing she noticed was that it wasn't a typical guy's room. The second was that it was actually clean.

The desk, pushed back against the wall closest to the open door, was the only part of the room that could actually be classified as _messy. _His copy of Hamlet and it's SparkNotes version were stacked haphazardly on top of his calculus and biology textbooks, and his laptop was whirring away, a Word document open for anyone to see. His olive green messenger bag and Class of '11 Chilton hoodie were on the desk chair, which was rolled around to face the bed.

On another wall, to the right of his bed, there were five shelves that extended halfway across the length of the wall. The top two were filled with trophies and framed certificates that were propped up, and in between, she could make out some medals, too. Directly above his bed was a certificate that said 'Eton College' in big letters. Fancy school.

There was a door in that corner, one that led, presumably, to his bathroom, and a set of sliding mirrors that probably hid his closet, three neat stacks of his shirts placed by them.

On the wall to the right there was a dartboard, with two darts in the red bulls-eye and two somewhere in the middle, and next to that was a corkboard with pictures.

Lots and lots of pictures.

Pictures of Nate in his school uniform, on a stage, giving a speech; Nate with other teenagers, all holding up red plastic cups, smiling widely; a younger Nate with his older brother and sister, all in front of the Eiffel Tower, both the boys giving the girl bunny ears. There was a wallet-sized family picture, too, of a beautiful blonde woman and a handsome, but slightly serious-looking man, surrounded by the same three children from the Eiffel Tower.

But amidst the large amount of 'England' pictures, there were so many of the 'America' ones, too. Sam, in the cafeteria, holding a box of Thin Mints, making a face. Gigi and Will posing in front of a chocolate story in downtown Hartford, probably taken on Valentine's Day.

There was even one of the two of them out to dinner with Rory and Logan. Nate had cracked some joke that no one else but April had laughed at. In truth, she had only laughed at the look on his face, but...

...it was still a really nice picture.

Feeling slightly creeped out that she was still standing in his room while he was sleeping, she turned around to face the bed, only to find him staring right back at her, eyes wide open. She yelped loudly, putting a hand to her heart. "Oh, my God. You jerk, who just stares at someone like that?"

"Who just comes in to someone's room when they're sleeping?" he asked her in response. All the anger from yesterday was replaced, and she could hear a little laughter in his voice.

"Yeah, well," she crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I have a reason."

"Oh really," he sat up and leaned over to get his glasses from his nightstand. Which, she noticed, also held his well-worn copy of A Separate Peace. The book was open and upside down, creating a tent-like shape, which meant that he had been reading it before he fell asleep. Which meant that he was brooding.

Damn it.

"And what might that reason be?" he asked.

"I came to apologize," she said softly. "I don't...I don't really want to fight with you."

"You came to apologize," he repeated hopefully, all traces of laughter gone. "Anything else you wanted to say?"

"No," she replied honestly. "I didn't really plan that far ahead."

"Okay." He threw the blankets off himself and turned so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Apparently, he had gone to the hospital in sweats.

"Why were you brooding?" she asked self-consciously.

"I wasn't brooding," he denied.

"Yes you were. You were reading A Separate Peace. And when you can't find A Separate Peace, you read Hemingway."

"How did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"That I was brooding."

"It's like how you know I read Nicholas Sparks books when I'm mad. Or how I eat ice cream when I'm sick," she explained. "I know you."

He got up and started walking towards her. "April."

Her heart started beating faster as he got closer, but she stood her ground, raising her head to meet his gaze. "Nate."

"I've only been asleep an hour or so, so my breath doesn't stink, I promise."

"Nate, what?" she looked up at him as he stopped right in front of her. He was less than an inch away from her, and he was leaning down, so there was only a centimeter or so between their lips. Before she could begin to decipher his confusing statement, he spoke up again.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he whispered. "And you can push me off if you want to, but I'd really rather you didn't."

And before she could protest, his lips were covering hers.

* * *

a/n: word count WITHOUT the A/N: 5,044.

i really really love you guys and your reviews and stuff. :D


	18. Love is friendship set on fire deux

a/n: i'm sorry if you think this chapter's crappy. i feel writer's block coming on, and my life is kind of hectic right now.

and we're having registration right now for school, so im debating how masochistic i should be in terms of AP classes.

eff. life.

idk if you guys have read my profile, but nate&april are based off of real people. circumstances are different (ie, the real ones aren't related by their siblings' marriage), but their personalities and the stuff that happens? totally.

* * *

**Monday, March 27th, 2011. 4:08 PM **

She was on fire.

He was barely touching her and she couldn't breathe and the room was way too hot and her heart was beating so fast but then he kissed her again and it didn't matter because:

_holy crap. _She was on _fire. _

His hands were lightly resting on her waist, and hers were holding onto his shoulders because her knees were weak and she was going to fall the second he let go of her. In contrast to their usual loud conversations, full of violence and sarcasm, and their fiery personalities, this kiss was sweet. It was soft and gentle and he hadn't even tried to put his tongue in her mouth (which she was grateful for because she didn't think she could take that just yet) and it was just...perfect. It was almost as if Nate thought that he was going to get to kiss her only once in his life and, if that was the case, then he was going to make that kiss worth _everything. _He was going to make her want more.

She hated that she had become the kind of girl who let her knees become weak when a guy kissed her.

"You suck," she said when they broke apart. They were breathing heavily, and she was smiling and still in his arms so he knew she'd be sticking around; for now, at least, he knew she wasn't _that _mad.

"You didn't push me off," he said hoarsely, sounding geniunely surprised, "I told you that you could push me off. You didn't. No hitting me."

"_Nate_," she laughed quietly, slapping his chest. "I wasn't going to push you off. That't not what I meant."

"Then what _did _you mean?" he frowned.

"That was the best kiss _of my life," _she said intently, putting her hands on his face to make sure he was looking at her. "That's what I meant."

"Well then what's the problem?"

"It's really hard to live up to a kiss like that," she told him amusedly. On the other hand, he was stiff and sullen. She straightened, turning serious, too. "Okay, so maybe you don't find this amusing."

"I wasn't sure," he said intently, referring to her feelings.

"You have to be able to trust me, Nate."

"You have to give me a reason to trust you, April."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Not that I'm not happy about that, but why aren't you running?" he mused. "I feel like you have...no idea what this means."

"Nate..."

"No, April, after this, you can't just walk away and say I don't mean anything. You have to be _all in."_

"I know."

"No, you don't. Because two days ago you said that you couldn't do relationships and long-distance and monogamy and all that _crap- this is... _is it worth it?"

"It could be,," she bit her lip. "I'm in if you're in."

"Whoa," he raised his eyebrows. "You're fighting for this now?"

"You kissed _me,_" she pointed out. "And it was _the_ _best kiss of my life. _I mean, I get that I've only kissed, like, three other guys in my entire life, but that's not even the point, Nate. The point is that I knew it _would _be the best kiss of my life."

"That is quite the compliment," he smirked. "Do you know how much you've just inflated my ego just now?"

She hit him.

"I have to admit, I..can't think straight right now. I still..._you let me kiss you!" _he said incredulously. "Did that just happen?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it did. Now stop acting like a girl," she said emotionally. "Because I'm trying to tell you something."

"That's not the way it works," he murmured, lowering his head back down to meet hers. "I'm supposed to break your heart, realize my fatal mistake, and then come stand outside your window with an old boombox that's playing 'My Heart Will Go On'."

"It's actually 'In Your Eyes," she corrected. "'My Heart Will Go On' didn't come out until ten years later, with the release of _Titanic."_

"You would know that, wouldn't you?" He rested his forehead on hers, eyes sparkling mischieveously, a smirk on his face. "April Hayden, Queen of Eighties Teen Movies."

"And anything with Leonardo DiCaprio in it," she added.

They were still speaking in whispers, heads bent close together, April's tilted up, Nate leaning down. Nate didn't want to let go of her, he didn't know if she'd stick around or no; April didn't want to talk too loud, it would mean having to talk about him leaving.

"I'm still going to Stanford in the fall."

But then Nate went and started talking about having to leave, anyways, so there went that plan.

"I know."

"In Palo _Alto_."

"I _know."_

"The one that's _three thousand_ _miles _away."

"_Nate_!"

"But it's okay, April, you'll still be my girlfriend," he finished casually.

"Okay, now you're just mocking me- wait. _What_?"

"My girlfriend. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you."

"You're _telling _me?" she whispered furiously.

"Asking means you can say no," he said seriously, looking into her eyes intently. "You can't say no. You don't get to say no, anymore, April. Give me a reason to trust you."

"Oh." She averted her gaze, but he put his hand under her chin and lifted it back up.

"What's wrong?"

"It's 3,000 miles away, Nate." She buried her head in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her automatically. "Ugh, I feel like such a _girl._"

"Right... Why is that a bad thing?"

"It's just," she raised her head to look at him. "I've never been the type of girl who gets caught up in having a boyfriend, or wanting him around all the time. The whole, knees-week, always-on-my-mind thing doesn't _happen _to me."

"It's okay to think about me all the time. I mean, it's understandable, I am pretty awesome."

"_Naaate!_"

"Okay, okay, sorry," he apologized when she glared at him. He changed tactics. "I think about you all the time. And that kiss was pretty awesome. It was a really good kiss."

"The best kiss of your life?"

"So far? Yeah."

"So _far_? You expect to be kissing better kissers?"

"Um, yeah. _You. _That was our first kiss, April. It wasn't perfect. Please don't tell me you're setting the bar that low."

"I don't know. Why don't you kiss me again and then we can see where to set the bar."

"No, sorry, I only kiss a girl twice if she's my girlfriend."

"You just made that rule up thirty seconds ago!"

"Of course, but I might as well stick to it, right?"

"You haven't even asked me a question."

"Okay. How's the weather today?"

She hit him again. "_The _question, Nate."

"But you're _expecting _it."

"Stop being such a _Logan!"_

He opened his mouth to dispute, 'Logan isn't an adjective!', but then thought better of it. Since they were standing in the middle of the room, he started pushing her back towards his desk. She stumbled and tightened her hold on his shoulders. As she tried to step away from him, he tightened _his _hold on her waist and kept her directly in front of him. Without breaking eye contact, he stretched his arm behind her, moved a few things around on his desk, and finally found what he was looking for. When he brought his hand back in front of her, there was a long (blue) rectangular box in it. "Happy seventeenth birthday."

April looked at the box curiously, "You got me jewelry?"

Nate shrugged. "Chocolates seemed kind of lame."

She reached for it, but he pulled it away above his head before she could grab it. "Uh uh. It comes with a price."

"Oh yeah?" she leaned on her tiptoes, her breath fanning over his face. "What might that be?" Momentarily distracted, Nate let his arm down, and she grabbed it quickly. Inside was a silver necklace with a snowflake pendant. On the back of the snowflake, in a tiny inscription, it read 'Tiffany&Co.' Next to that were the intials N.D.P.

Her dark brown eyes flicked up at him. "You forgot the G," she said coyly, a smile fighting at her lips. "And it's a day early. But I'll forgive because you're my boyfriend and you're going three thousand miles away in six months."

* * *

"That is a baby," Rory commented wondrously, pointing through the glass display to Cameron, who was now lying in a crib with at least ten other newborns.

"Ten of them. I wonder where they came from."

"_Logan."_

"I feel like my humor is underappreciated."

"It is," she stepped in front of him, turning around to wrap her arms around his waist. "This could be a good time to talk..."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, _you _want to talk?"

At her flat expression, he amended, injecting cheer into his voice. "Let's _talk, _Ace!"

"You know how you said you wanted three kids?" She asked. "When I told you I loved you?"

"Yes. And I do want three kids, Ace," he said slowly. "We have the house, and I've got a job and you're going to grad school and-"

"I don't want kids right now," she blurted out.

"Is _that _what this is about?" Logan's eyes widened. "Rory, I'm not...I don't either. We're not even married yet!"

"I know, but it's just that- you were showing me images about having little kids running around!"

"I said that there would be kids around _someday, _Rory. Not right this second."

"It takes nine months to have a baby."

"Nine months is not enough time to make me ready to be a father," he told her honestly. "I can't do that. In the past few months, I've barely adjusted to having a normal _family _and a steady girlfriend-slash-fiance who I get to have a future with. The whole "being in love" thing is scarier that I ever thought it would be, Ace, and I really don't think that having a kid within the next year is a good idea."

Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Good."

"Because, you know, I kind of like the idea of having you all to myself," she fiddled with his tie, already loosened from hours of fiddling with it during the long hours waiting for Honor in the waiting room.

"I like the idea of having you all to myself, too, Ace," he said. "It's a good feeling. That I actually _want _something more than I've ever wanted in my life, and I have it."

"So you think I'm a material posession?"

"NO! No, Ace, it's like...there are times when you want, a boat," he said offhandedly. "And then there are times when you want the family. The laughter and the closeness and the bright happy smiling shiness. Uncomplicated."

"It's never uncomplicated, Logan. Love is never simple."

"It's been simple for us," he shrugged.

"That's because life hasn't thrown anything at us, yet! Logan, love is..it's hard and it's complicated and there are going to be days when we fight and I _will _throw things at you. That doesn't mean that the wedding's off or that we're breaking up and you can go back to your old ways, and after we're married, fights will _not _mean we're getting divorced."

"So new rule?"

"What."

"No going to sleep angry."

"If I'm going to be married to _you, _I can promise you that I will break that rule."

"Ace!"

"What?" she asked innocently. "Rule#2, you always have to tell me when you're going on business trips."

"I'll take you with me, always," he promised.

"Which brings me to rule #3," she said with raised eyebrows. "No random spontaneous vacations planned until _after _grad school, unless it's a short drive."

"Rules are meant to be _broken, _Ace." He leaned in to kiss her, but she moved away.

"Not this rule."

"Ace," he whined.

* * *

**April Hayden(: **is now **in a relationship **with **Nate G. DuPont**

**^Derek DuPont, Emerson Browning, Lorelai Hayden, and 38 others like this. ^Like -Comment.**

**Derek DuPont: **Does this mean you're going to stop calling me at 4 in the morning whining about your girl problems?

**^April Hayden and Samantha Winthrop like this**

**Logan Huntzberger: **Congratulations. By the way, I'm going to kick your ass.

**^Emerson Browning likes this.**

**Nate G. DuPont: **Fuck you all.

**-See 73 other comments. **

* * *

"Why now?"

"Why _not _now?"

"Nate, you guys are long-distance. You're young, you're not going to be a serious couple, there are a million and one things that can go wrong. When you go to college, you're going to feel guilty about _talking _to other girls. Why would you enter into a long-distance relationship _knowing _you're going to resent her?"

"Because if she wanted me to, I would move the moon for her."

"She told you that story," Logan accused his cousin.

Nate looked at Logan in honest bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"April didn't tell you anything? About an ex-boyfriend and some meddling of mine?"

"Oh, that James kid you chased away? She mentioned being pissed at you for that. But no, she didn't go into details, why?"

"Nothing," Logan muttered, trying to shove aside the disturbing thoughts. When he had been interrogating James and trying to scare him away, he had created a list of boys that he would be okay with April dating.

Nate was the only one on the list.

Because Nate was supposed to be on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

And then Nate flew over to North America, fell for April, and now Logan was discovering that there _wasn't_ a list, because no one, not even his own flesh and blood, deserved his sister-in-law. Or future sister-in-law. Or whatever terminology he was supposed to use for his fiance's oldest younger sister.

Why was the English language so complicated?

But he digressed.

"What about not looking at her romantically and all that other bullshit you fed me?"

"Logan, I didn't tell you anything like that," Nate smirked. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I told you that I've been into the girl since I met her. "

"Seriously?"

Nate put his hand on Logan's desk and leaned over. "Dude. She drives a Camry to school."

Logan thought about it for a moment. "I see your point."

"Right? And she's fun, she's smart, she's _beautiful."_

Logan scratched his head. "Okay, the world is ending. An eighteen-year-old boy, my _cousin, _just called a girl beautiful."

"She's my girlfriend," Nate shrugged. "I'm allowed."

"In two months, you're graduating from high school."

"And then I'm going to Stanford. Oh my," Nate said sarcastically, clapping his hands over his cheeks.

"Do you love her?" Logan asked sternly. Of all the things he wanted to say, this was the most important.

Nate paused. "I don't know."

* * *

a/n: i feel kind of suckish writing about stanford and MIT because when i started writing this, the original nate and april were actually supposed to GO to MIT and Stanford...but now they're going to berkeley.

but that's not going to happen in the story. so, you know. I hit 20 reviews last chapter! and there's only 2 chapters left of this story and then the sequel.

okay flame me or whatever. goodnight. love you guys. oh, if you're into spanish music, listen to cuando me enamoro by enrique iglesias. i swear that man is like...holy crap have you SEEN HIS EYES?


	19. Enchanted

a/n: so originally this was 3500 words, but ffnet wouldn't let me post last night. I had to wait (and that made me kind of mad, since I wanted to know what you guys thought) and when I woke up this morning, I felt like adding that last scene at the end (mostly because it bugs me when I have under 4,000 words a chapter) which pushed it up to 4100.

So I hope you guys enjoy, and please review, and INDIA WON THE WORLD CUP and next chapter is the last chapter.

REVIEW!(:

-RL-

**Monday, May 23rd, 2011. 3PM. Yale University. **

"I can't believe I just graduated from college_,_" Rory said, smoothing down her graduation gown. "That's it. I'm done with school."

"Doesn't it feel _great?_" Logan asked, smirking.

"No. This is so scary. Oh, my God. What am I going to do?"

"I don't know," April said wryly. "Go _back _to school?"

"Yeah," Nate joined in, deadpanning. "Maybe somewhere fancy like, I don't know, Columbia?"

Rory turned to the two teenagers. "Has anyone ever told you you're funny?"

"Should I answer that question?" Nate asked his girlfriend. Her arm was looped around his and she was looking down at the camera in her hands. Across the screen, a slideshow of Rory's graduation pictures was playing.

"Probably not," April advised, tilting her head sideways. "It'll go against you no matter how you answer."

"Shame on you, Rory," Nate said, in faux-disappointment. "As the older sister, you should come up with your own comebacks."

"Leave Rory alone, Nate," Logan said, sliding his arm around his fiancé's waist. Rory stuck her tongue out at her younger brother-in-law and then turned her head to meet Logan's as he leaned in to kiss her. "Breathe," he told her. "I can practically feel the butterflies in your stomach."

"I can't help it!" she defended. "I'm nervous. I'm also kind of numb. And excited. And slightly in denial. I can't believe it. It's over."

"For three months and then you hit the books again."

"But it won't be _Yale, _Logan. _You _won't be there."

"Aw, I can always come pick you up for lunch or surprise you with a visit to campus."

"You're going to be busy."

"Not too busy for you."

"Hey, Nate, can you hold the camera while I go find a place to throw up?"

"Very funny, April," Logan glared at her, surfacing from his personal bubble with Rory. "You don't see us complaining when we see you two together."

"Logan, you complain all the time."

"Well, I'm older than you," Logan replied, unfazed. "So I have the right."

"...shittiest argument _ever._"

"Whatever."

To say Logan was..._displeased_ about his cousin's new relationship was an understatement.

He hated it.

Which is not to say he hated _them, _no, it was that he hated them _together. _He loved Nate, and he loved April, but neither one of them was even remotely ready for anything even resembling

a relationship. Not even close. They were the kind of couple that looked good on paper; the kind of couple that would have worked in a romance novel that had happy endings but wasn't likely to work out in real life.

They weren't kids, but they weren't adults. They were far past friendship, but nowhere near love. They wanted each other, but they wanted other things _more. _

Nate had gotten into Harvard. April wasn't bound to MIT.

There were options, and they weren't choosing them.

And despite the similarities between April and her sister and Nate and Logan, the two couples were very, very different. While the age difference was one of the most important factors, it would also have something to do with the fact that Logan, when he really wanted something, put himself into it. He immersed himself in it. There was no middle ground with Logan. It was always a 'Go BIG or Go Home' situation with him.

Nate wasn't like that. Nate was studious and hardworking. For the most part, he was rational (a trait that had, unfortunately, left him when he was around April). Nate was laid-back and chill, but underneath the surface he was always thinking of things to do.

And April most definitely wasn't Rory. While she thought she'd want a relationship, she really didn't. She loved her freedom, reveled in it, even. She wasn't vain or selfish, but more often than not, she was always looking out for the best interests of herself and her family, everyone else be damned.

Logan was pretty sure that, even after he had chased away James, April was less mad at him about actually _doing _it than she was at herself for choosing someone who could be so weak and being relieved about the fact that she had no romantic interests anymore. Even Evan, a genuinely nice guy, had bored her.

On the other hand, Rory put her all into a relationship. From what she had told him about her past relationships (he had been surprised to know that that conversation had actually made him hurt. Apparently, when you're in love with someone, you don't like to think about them being with someone else, even if they didn't know you then), she had put her all into them, even when they were failing. Even with Dean and Jess, she had gone on as long as she could, since she didn't want to hurt them. Even with him, she had reached out to be cordial before he had. Once they had gotten past the initial irritation with the other, she was the one who had tried to help him with his twisted feelings regarding his father and HPG.

"So," Rory's voice shook him out of his internal reverie. "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

"What was what all about, Ace?" He asked, shaking his head free of lingering thoughts.

"That little phase out you had just know."

"You noticed that?"

"Everyone noticed that. Nate and April even walked away." She pointed to a spot under a big tree where he could see his cousin and her sister talking.

"What are they talking about?"

"No idea, I don't have extendable ears," Rory answered, eyes twinkling.

"See, I _knew _it was a bad idea for us to watch Harry Potter this weekend."

"I don't understand why you hate him so much."

"I _refuse _to believe that anyone can be that selfless."

"Hey," she leaned into him. "You would sacrifice a lot of stuff for me."

"Of course I would, Ace, you don't even have to question that. But for the _world_?" 

"Probably not. So I guess I see your point."

"Good. So we're moving in tonight," he changed subjects abruptly.

Rory and Logan were moving into the West End Avenue house today.

They were already moved into the New York place, with the furniture, kitchen utensils, clothes, electronics, and basic necessities already in place. Tonight would just be the first night that they would be there together, officially, and not have to worry about taking the train back to New Haven in the morning or later the next day. They wouldn't have to worry about packing or oversleeping or which restaurant they'd be eating at for the rest of the weekend, because all of their stuff would be there and neither of them had anywhere to be in the morning, and they had food in the fridge.

They actually had_ food in the fridge. _Food that they had gone out together to buy and stocked together.

For the first time in her life, Rory was being _domestic. _It kind of freaked her out a little bit (read: a lot) to know that in the twenty-odd years she'd lived at home, no one in her family had taken the time to stock the fridge or the pantry of edible foods, or even bothered to cook. Lorelai and Chris had always been perfectly fine with unhealthy foods (Lorelai even encouraged it) and if it hadn't been for Summer and the fact that they all had fast metabolisms and they (unknowingly, unwittingly) exercised, they'd all have been obese.

But now Rory and Logan weren't going to have a Summer, they were going to have a Rory and Logan and the Rory half of the equation didn't know how to cook and what were they going to do?

"I can't cook," Rory blurted out. "What are we going to do? I can't cook."

"Ace, what are you talking about?"

"I don't know how to cook! And how are we supposed to _eat _every day if we don't know how to cook? We're going to have guests, Logan. Our families are going to come over and eat our food and we won't have anything edible to give them because _it'll all be raw. _Do you know how much Nate_ eats?_" Rory pointed at his cousin. "I mean, he's a growing boy. He's going to need to eat."

"Ace," Logan blinked down at her, smile growing on his face. "I can cook, remember?"

"Oh," she let out a sigh of relief. "Right.

As more time passed in their relationship, they were both coming to the conclusion that somehow, they balanced the other out. Rory was a planner, Logan was spontaneous; Rory was clean, Logan was...not. Rory baked, Logan cooked. They didn't know how, or _why, _but it worked. It didn't matter that she was frustrated whenever he left his socks on the floor, or he hated it when she took his side of the bed (they both liked sleeping on the right, but he won the rights with a game of rock-paper-scissors). None of that mattered, because he was the only one who could get her to calm down when she was panicking, and she was the only one who could make him believe in himself.

It worked.

Lorelai and Chris came up then to greet Rory; Logan got a phone call that he excused himself to go answer; no one noticed that April and Nate were under the shade of a giant tree quite a bit of distance away, since Rory and Logan had stopped paying attention to them once they had walked off. When they were relatively alone and she was sure no one could hear or see them, except from a distance, she dropped the bright smile from her face.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked softly, running his hand up and down her arm.

"Not particularly, no," she admitted.

"April..."

"Nate," she paused, shoulders slouching. "My sister just graduated from college today and is leaving home to move in with her fiancé. My boyfriend is flying out to London tonight for the next month. I think I'm allowed to be not-okay."

"I'll be back at the beginning of July," he consoled.

"And then you'll stay for two weeks and go away again!"

"But I'll be back after that. I'm not just _ditching_ you and going off somewhere because I want to."

"You're going to Stanford because you want to," she bit back.

"_Don't," _he raised his eyebrows to emphasize. "Use the college card. Because there is this school in Boston that _you're_ going to next year, because _you _want to."

"Okay fine," she dropped the subject. "We're not talking about that."

"We're _definitely _not talking about that."

"This is hard," she said resignedly. "It's not supposed to be this hard."

"You agreed to long-distance."

"You _made _me agree to long-distance."

"Yeah, but," he closed the distance between them. "The benefits outweigh the costs." He kissed her deeply, and she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. It was a brief kiss, but when they pulled apart, she didn't out of his hold.

"I'm really going to miss you," she whispered, blinking back tears. "So much."

"I'm going to miss you, too. You know that, right, Hayden."

"I know, I just...," she paused, laughing incredulously at herself. At the girl she had become. "You're my best friend."

"I'm your _boyfriend," _he corrected.

"You're both."

"You're crying," he cracked a smile, using his thumb to wipe away a tear. "I'm making you cry."

She laughed then, pushing his hand away to wipe her own tears. "Have I told you that you suck, recently?"

"No, I usually kiss you before you finish."

"Well then, you suck."

"I don't suck. I'm awesome. I'm so awesome that you think about me every waking moment."

"I do _not. _Don't make me gag."

"You don't even gag at the Notebook anymore."

"I still gag on the inside when I watch the Notebook, Nate." she confessed.

"No you don't," he shook his head. "You love the Notebook."

"Okay fine," she conceded laughingly. "I cry when I read _A Separate Peace."_

"Only you would."

"Hey! I'm sure a lot of people would! It's a really good story. I feel for Gene."

"I feel for Finny."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" she raised her eyebrows.

"I love you," he said conversationally.

Instantly, she sobered. "What?"

"I'm in love with you."

And he was. It had only taken five months for her to get under her skin. It scared the hell out of him, but there he was. He honestly couldn't remember a time before _April. _

"Oh, my God." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, eyes wide. "Are you serious?" she breathed.

He nodded solemnly. "As a heart attack."

"You love me? You're _in love _with me? With _me? Why?_"

"No matter how many times you question it, April, it's still going to be true."

"Wow," she looked at the ground, still blinking rapidly, eyebrows furrowing. "I don't know what to say."

"And that's fine. I get it. You may not love me right now, but you will."

Truthfully, she was already halfway in love with him. But the problem was, she didn't think completely with her heart. She never compartmentalized. It was never that something was academic so she only used her brain, or that it was a matter of the heart so she should go with her gut. No, she always mixed logic with emotions, and more often than not, it caused her to crash and burn.

But sometimes, she got so emotionally invested in something, like her grades, that the rewards were so much more amazing. Like getting a guaranteed admission into MIT in the fall of 2012.

So then, she wondered, looking up into Nate's emerald green eyes, which were focused _ohsointently_ on her, which instance was this going to be?

"Okay." She nodded. "Okay."

He grinned back at her. "Well, alright then."

**May 23, 2011. 7:34 PM. Geronimo Restaurant. **

Dinner was a loud, _loud _affair.

The whole extended family showed up. Of course, with a name like 'Geronimo', the restaurant was quick to attract the likes of Lorelai, Rory, and April Hayden. Chris, Logan, and Nate had no choice but to follow,

Sometimes, Logan thought, looking around at everyone surrounding him, families could be made by actually trying. By working for it.

Watching Josh try to feed Will peas, Gigi and Nate taking turns playing peek-a-boo with Cameron, and seeing Mitchum discuss politics with Chris and April, made him feel good.

Like somehow, falling in love with Rory was the best decision of his life.

Needless to say, it was. She was Rory, _his _Ace. Not because his father had used money, or someone had gifted him something as a bribe. No. Rory was his because he loved her and she loved him and she wanted to be his. She wanted to wear that ring on her finger which would tell the world that she belonged with him. Not _to _him, mind you, because that would set the feminist movement back fifty years, but _with _him. And his own wedding band would signal the same thing about her: that he wanted to be with her, and he wanted everyone to know.

Or maybe it didn't mean that _exactly, _but it was what he wanted it to mean.

Rory looked up from her conversation with her mother just then and winked at him.

_Baby your love is going to change me. And now I can see every possibility._

He could see it. He could see the kids in ten years, three of them at least, running around the house. They'd be spoiled, because he was Logan Huntzberger and he couldn't _not _spoil his kids, but they'd be grounded, too, because they'd have a totally awesome mother and, he glanced at April and Nate, an awesome Uncle Nathan and Auntie April, too. Maybe they'd even be a _married _Aunt April and Uncle Nate. April's happy look and constant looking at Nate told him that was a possibility, but then he thought of Stanford and MIT and the rest of their lives, and the idea dimmed a little.

But still. Life would be totally awesome.

All he had to do now was marry Rory.

'_They say all's fair in love and war,' _Logan's phone rang. He looked up across the table to his fiancé, who was looking very studiously at her plate.

Which was curious, since that ringtone was set specifically for Rory, and she didn't look like she was calling him. But then she looked up, and said, "Answer it," innocently, and then he realized.

She wanted to get out.

Everyone at the table stopped to look up at him. Some, like April, Honor, Nate, and Josh, had already figured out that it was Rory, since _why the hell else would Logan have Michael Buble as his ringtone?_

But all of the others were just surprised at the fact that his phone had even rang than what the ringtone was. After all, this was Logan. Since Christmas, Logan had been especially conscious of the fact that nothing should interrupt family time. That included any texts and phone calls, or no leaving suddenly because of pre-scheduled meetings.

Hiding his smirk, he hit the green phone button on his BlackBerry, and quickly answered the call. Pretending that it was Jamie, he started speaking. "Hey, Jamie," he greeted, only to be met with silence. "You did _what? _And now she's...Paris did that?" He looked up at Rory, motioning for her to get her things and get ready to leave. "Yeah, we'll be there as soon as possible. Okay. Yeah. No problem, Jamie, you'd do the same for us."

"Who was that, Logan," April asked slyly. "And why do they have a Michael Buble ringtone?"

"That was my fault," Rory cut in smoothly, already standing up. "I was fiddling with his phone, and...well the ringtone was _supposed _to be just for me, but..." she shrugged.

"So yeah," Logan stood up, clapping his hands together. "Paris...emergency."

"Well, be careful," Lorelai quipped. "Can't be too prepared when it comes to Paris."

"Lorelai!" Emily scolded, scandalized. "That is no way to talk about a young girl."

"If Paris is a young girl, I shudder to think what I would be," April muttered. Nate, who was sitting across the table from her, heard and choked on his drink. Logan hit him on the back on his way out the door, and Nate raised his glass in response, still blinking away tears. Logan leaned down to whisper in Nate's ear. "Have a safe flight, okay? Call us when you reach, but call April first. She's going to be up waiting the whole night, so don't disappoint. And come back soon." Nate nodded in response, "Yeah. I will."

"Good."

"Let's go, Logan," Rory said quickly, before anyone could enquire what, exactly, had happened to Paris. Luckily, everyone went back to their dinner, and they were able to leave quietly. The second they got into Logan's car, though, they burst out laughing. Logan turned to Rory, still breathing heavily. "Did you actually just get us out of there?"

"_Yes._ Why didn't you tell me you had a personalized ring tone for me?"

"You're _you_; of course you have a personalized ringtone."

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"I don't know. Woman's intuition?"

Rory stared at him. "Really, Logan? Really."

"Right, sorry Ace. But still, that was incredibly sexy. And sneaky. But more sexy."

She blushed. "Logan!"

"What? Ace, if you remember, I'm always the one who suggests sneaking out. You didn't even ask."

"Are you complaining?"

"_Hell no."_

"Good. Then let's go home." She smiled, thinking at the fact that _home _wasn't Logan's New Haven apartment anymore. It wasn't a bachelor pad that she moved into. It was an actual house that had _their _names on the property title, and _their _belongings. Of course, the pool table was still there, and the suit of armor, but now Rory had a lot more say in what was at the house. Like...everything that wasn't the pool table and the suit of armor. Even though it was a big house, she and Logan were going to familiarize themselves with it. Instead of sleeping in the master bedroom every night, they were going to put some sleeping bags on the floor and sleep in a different room every night.

She was finally, finally going out of the box. Maybe it was in her own house, but...she owned a house.

And that was adventurous enough.

At least, for her.

"Nate's leaving tonight," Logan's voice cut into her thoughts. "I told him to call us when he reached."

"He has to call April first," Rory said immediately. "You told him that, right?"

He reached across the console and picked up her hand in his. "Of course I did, Ace. I know how bad me going to London was for us. It's going to be just as bad for them."

"Not _just _as bad..."

"Trust me; it's going to be just as bad."

"He's coming back though, right?"

"Yeah," Logan said as he started backing out of the parking space. "But not for a month. They'll be fine, though, Ace."

"She's going to be hurting." 

"I know. I'm sorry."

"She's going to be hurting, and I'm going to be-"

"Rory. You are going to be off, in your own home, with your fiancé. Our phone is on. If she needs you, she will call, okay? They'll be fine. April will be fine."

"I know."

"Good. So let's go enjoy our first night in our new home, shall we?"

"Yeah," she smiled softly. "Let's go do that."

**Bradley International Airport. 10:58 PM. **

'_Delta flight 1173 to Heathrow now boarding'_

"Alright, Nathaniel. It's time for your flight," Mitchum said, clapping Nate on the shoulder, and then pulling him into a hug. "Have a safe flight, call when you reach."

"I will, Uncle Mitchum. Thanks for having me."

"Nonsense, Nathan," Shira said, pushing her husband away from her nephew. "We're happy to have you, no matter what. You know that."

Nate cracked a smile. "Yeah, I do."

After spending his last semester of high school in America, Nate was finally going back to London, where he would stay for at least a month and a half. Then, in early July, he and all the rest of the DuPonts would be flying over for Rory and Logan's wedding. They'd be staying for a week, and then they'd fly back to London again, along with Nate. Since Stanford's fall quarter started in the third week of August, he'd only have time to make a week-long trip at the beginning of August before he moved to Palo Alto. To say he was doing a lot of inter-continental flying was a definite understatement. But, he looked over at his girlfriend's face, it was all worth it.

Shira let go of him then, and he immediately turned to April.

"Come on, everyone," she shot the teenagers a sly smile. "Let's give them some privacy."

As Mitchum, Shira, Honor and Josh walked away, April dropped all semblance of a smile. "I'm not in love with you."

He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "What?"

"Not yet, at least. And I want to say that I'm in love with you, I really do. Nate, because...I'm halfway there. But, I don't want to say it until I mean it and I don't mean it, not yet." She sniffled and wiped at her nose, tears starting to form. "It's just so _stupid _how for the last three days, all I've done is _cry _when I'm around you and I'm sorry because _I'm not that girl_. So maybe I do love you, or I'll realize I love you when you're on a plane flying across the Atlantic Ocean, but I can't say it yet because I don't know if I'll mean it."

"April, it's fine," he smiled. After hearing that whole speech, he didn't feel like his world was ending, so it didn't matter to him if she said it today, or tomorrow, or five minutes ago, because someday, she would.

She did, after all, watch Roman Holiday with him.

Score.

'_Last call for flight 1173 to Heathrow International Airport'_

"So I should go," he said awkwardly.

"Yeah," she nodded, showing a small smile, eyes filled with love. Not that she knew it yet. She was getting there.

"Can I get a cheesy, romantic, last-minute airport kiss before I go?"

She let out a laugh then and stepped into his arms, putting her arm around his neck to pull him down. "Yeah," she breathed. "Yeah you can."

a/n: hope you enjoyed! Next chapter is the last chapter. Just curious, how many of you have ideas for a sequel? I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking! And, how long after the last chapter is up do you want the sequel?

REVIEW!(:


	20. The Wedding

a/n: So this is it. It's over. This is actually kind of big for me, since it's the first multi-chapter that I'm doing. I'm so psyched that I FINISHED it, but I'm so, so, sad that it's over. It's bittersweet, to say the least. Thank you SO much to penelope-applegate, meg-breanne, gamerbunny, greenscarfgirl, goodgirl793, angel1178, and everyone else who reviewed, whether it be for just one chapter or for every single one. To everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, or just read. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work. I really appreciate it.

On a side note, Nate is really. And I fell in love with him. And then I fell out of love and moved on.

This doesn't necessarily mean that they break up. I have their futures all mapped out. If you want some spoilers, PM me. :D

FYI, this last chapter isn't SUPER-awesome, but it's how I saw fit to end the story. So I hope you like. I only got 14 reviews for the last chapter, so I'm wondering, was there something wrong with it? ):

* * *

_**Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Straub Hayden**_

_**request the honour of your presence**_

_**at the marriage of their daughter**_

_**Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Hayden III**_

_**to**_

_**Logan James Elias Huntzberger**_

_**Saturday, the sixteenth of July**_

_**two thousand and eleven**_

_**at two o'clock in the afternoon**_

_**Trinity Presbyterian Church**_

_**3434 Roswell Road**_

_**Hartford, Connecticut**_

-RL-

**July 15th, 2011. Hayden residence. 6:30 PM.**

"Oh, my God," Lorelai gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. "Oh, Ro, you look so beautiful."

And she did.

As she descended the stairs her eyes shone brightly. Almost as if she couldn't wait for this day to be over so she could get married already. Unfortunately for her, she still had a whole day before the wedding. In about two hours, everyone would be coming over for the rehearsal dinner, and that would be the last time that she would be referred to as Rory Hayden.

It was exciting.

But right now, she was wearing a dress bought specifically for the rehearsal dinner, and everyone seemed to unanimously agree that she looked beautiful.

"You're going to knock Logan's socks off tomorrow, Ro."

Rory laughed. "If he remembers to wear socks."

"He probably won't," Lorelai joked.

"I think I'm going to cry," April said, biting back a smile. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was smiling because she didn't know what else to do. Her sister was going to leave home tomorrow, for good, and they wouldn't even share a last name anymore. They wouldn't be 'The Older Hayden Girls' anymore. Or 'The Gilmore Girls', or _anything. _They would be Mrs. Huntzberger and Miss Hayden and no matter how much she loved Logan, the fact just plain sucked.

"You've been crying a lot lately," Lorelai stated. "I didn't think your life was _that_ bad."

"It's 'because Nathan's in London, Mommy," Gigi commented. "April misses him."

"For your _information, _he got back last night. And so what if I miss him, you little twerp, he's my boyfriend. I'm allowed. One day, you'll miss a guy, too."

Gigi wrinkled her nose in response. "Boys have cooties."

"You hug Logan and Nate all the time."

"But they're _old."_

"Who's old," Chris asked, entering the foyer. He was buttoning his shirt, but his fingers fumbled. Lorelai went over to help him, answering his question on the way. "Logan and Nate, according to Gigi."

Christopher's face fell at his wife's words. "Oh, boy." Since he was turning 40 this year, Chris was starting to become sensitive about his age. Lorelai, on the other hand, was taking it in stride. According to her, not that many people could have a college graduate kid and still be young. As she rightly mentioned to Chris, 'We could have been as old as the Huntzbergers.' Chris had shuddered at the thought.

"Okay, everyone. I get that we're feeling nostalgic, but this weekend is _my _weekend."

"Of course, Ro-ro. Now get down here, people should be arriving any moment."

And, as if on cue, Rory and Chris reached the bottom of the stairs as the doorbell rang. Moments later, the Gilmores and the Haydens rushed in.

And so the night began.

-RL-

**The Wedding Day**

"Ro! Are you ready?" Chris knocked on the door to Rory's dressing room. It was nearing two, and everyone was expecting her to be out soon. They had to walk down the dreaded aisle.

Today was a nightmare for Chris. His daughter, his oldest baby girl, was getting married.

To a younger version of _him._

Granted Logan had cleaned up his act since getting engaged. Whenever the two were around each other, you could feel how much Logan loved Rory. So perhaps he had gotten lucky. There were worse people than Logan Huntzberger to give your daughter away to, after all.

"Come in, Dad," Rory called through the door. Heeding her words, he pushed open the door to find all the women in his family spread out through the room. April, already in her bridesmaid dress, was finishing Gigi's hair. Francine, Lorelai, and Emily were gathered around Rory, staring into the mirror nostalgically. The older three women were already sniffling, and the bride was blinking back tears.

"Now that is just sad," Chris said. Instantly, all eyes were on him. "You don't make the bride cry on her wedding day."

"What are you talking about, Dad? Brides _always _cry."

"Yeah, Ape, but they shouldn't."

"Daddy," Rory spoke up. "Don't tell me you don't want to cry, too."

"Of course I do," he said, striding over to stand behind his daughter. Emily and Francine moved out of the way, leaving Rory standing in front of her parents. "Logan Huntzberger, Ro? Are you sure you don't want to back out of this? There's still time."

Rory laughed through her tears as Lorelai lightly hit Chris on the shoulder. Chris winced exaggeratedly. "I'm sure, Dad. There's no one else."

Chris sighed dejectedly. "All right. If you're sure."

"Oh, she's sure," April snorted. "Couldn't stop smiling this whole week."

"Really, now, Ape?" Rory turned to her sister. "I seem to remember this one weekend, not too long ago, after a certain someone kissed _you_-"

"You're with Nate?" Chris' eyes bugged out at his teenage daughter. How had he not known about this?

April's eyes widened in fear. _Crap. _"Ro knew about this," she pointed at her older sister. Chris turned to his eldest daughter, whose eyes widened in fear, too.

"Mom!" Rory said in explanation, pointing at Lorelai.

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai looked helplessly from her daughters to her husband. "Well you know what? You didn't tell me she almost got hit by a car."

"But-"

He was interrupted by another knock. They all turned expectantly to the doorway, and when Nate stuck his head in, April visibly brightened. "Hey," he grinned, eyes roaming down her body.

She blushed lightly. "Hey."

Chris cleared his throat, "Ahem."

Nate went red. "Right. Uh, it's time, Mr. H."

"That'll be 'sir' to you."

"Right. Sir."

Gigi went first, grabbing Nate's hand as she walked out the door. Emily and Francine walked out behind them, leaving Lorelai and Chris with their two older girls.

"Nice job, Dad," April commented dryly. "Totally appreciate that."

"He was checking you out in _front of me!" _

"In his defense, Hun, our daughter does look beautiful."

"Not the point, Lorelai."

"I think, Dad," Rory put her hand on his shoulder. "That you don't want to give away two daughters to the same family on the same day."

"Aw, Daddy. I just have a boyfriend," April stepped up and wrapped her arms around Chris, Rory and Lorelai following suit. "But I'd also really like to have a brother-in-law, so I suggest we get a move on."

"Alright," Chris sighed for the umpteenth time. "Let's go get Rory married."

April smiled.

"But we'll be talking about you and Nate later. I let the boy into your _room."_

The smile disappeared.

-RL-

Honor and Josh walked down the aisle first.

Then Derek and Paris. Logan hadn't realized that Paris would be in the wedding, but Rory had looked at him as if to say "really?" and the matter had been settled then. Kat was sitting in the pews next to his Aunt Lily; Cameron was bouncing on her knees, looking up at his parents. Derek winked at Kat as he passed her, and she smiled widely back. If it wasn't his wedding, Logan was pretty sure he'd have grabbed Rory and hijacked it anyways, seeing a scene like that.

He wanted to be chained to her for the rest of his life. Now.

Bachelorhood be damned.

Nate squirmed in his suit, anxious to see April. Logan turned to his side and said out of the side of his mouth, "It's my wedding, kiddo, not yours."

"Up yours, Logan," Nate glared.

"We're in a church, Nate," he said, turning back to the aisle, where Will was currently walking down, looking solemn and serious with a plush cushion in his hands. The four-year-old took his job as a ring-bearer extremely seriously.

Nate bit back a laugh. "As if you're not already thinking of your honeymoon."

Touché.

April came down the aisle then, following Gigi and the flowers that the little girl was throwing everywhere. She was looking straight up at the altar and winked, but Logan didn't know whether it was for him or his cousin.

Thirty seconds later, he didn't even care, because her sister was standing at the end of the aisle.

His heart stopped when he saw her walking down the aisle.

Now, he wasn't a dress kind of guy. He didn't really care _what _Rory wore as long as she was smiling and, you know, with him, but this...

Well, he could get used to this.

He didn't know who made the dress, or how much money it cost (probably a ridiculously large amount), but he knew that all the effort all the women in their families had gone through to find the dress had paid off because frankly, his jaw was dropping.

Internally, at least, because if his jaw _actually _dropped, he would start drooling, and Derek had already told him before the ceremony that he would be watching the groom's face as the bride came down the aisle. And Logan had no doubt that he would be teased for the rest of his life if he was drooling at his fiancé during the wedding ceremony.

Then again, there were worse things to be teased about.

Especially since Rory looked...well, Rory looked amazing right now.

She was wearing a white dress (he smirked at the irony), with a neckline that he could _definitely _appreciate, and a deep purple sash the color of his tie tied just above her waist. But the best part was that she was looking at him coyly, her smile as wide as his, if not wider, saying, 'I can't wait to be married to you.'

Had the aisle been this long at rehearsal yesterday?

He honestly couldn't remember.

But it didn't matter anymore, since Chris was putting her hand in his and kissing his daughter's cheek, and he vaguely heard a "keep her happy, Logan."

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man here today?" Revered Alexander asked.

"Her mother and I do," Chris answered. Then he stepped back and took a seat next to Lorelai. Will immediately clambered onto his lap.

And then Logan didn't really see anything except Rory's face because they were getting married.

And it was pretty freaking awesome.

Something like ten minutes into the wedding ceremony, when Rory and Logan were saying "I do", Nate finally got the courage to look up at April's face. He wasn't ready to get married, or anything; he was only _eighteen _after all, but looking around at the church and the flowers and April in her purple dress, it kind of made him think about a day when he _would _want it.

Maybe in ten years or so.

April, unfortunately, didn't seem to be thinking along the same lines as him. She'd kissed him on the cheek when she saw him and then waved him away. That sucked, though, because she looked really pretty. Rory was apparently secure in the knowledge of Logan's feelings, and obviously didn't feel that a pretty bridesmaid dress would get in the way of the wedding, so April was dressed in a silky, light purple, floor length dress, with some white dangly earrings. Her hair was up, in some twisty, curly, ponytail thing that he didn't care much for, but it would be easier to kiss her when her hair was out of the way...

Anyways.

He was nervous.

It was stupid, seeing as how she was his girlfriend, and he'd seen her last night, but...

He had been in London for a month. And they'd talked and stuff, but it wasn't the same. She was busy finished her junior year, and he was busy keeping track of Louis and interning at his father's friend's law office, and a whole month had passed and here they were.

Him staring at her, and her staring at the bride and groom.

What if she didn't want him anymore?

Logan had prepared vows.

This was _not _what they had agreed to.

They had figured out everything; her younger sister and brother would be flower girl and ring bearer, Nate and April would be Best Man and Maid of Honor. Derek would walk down the aisle with Paris. They would use the vows the pastor gave them.

But no.

Logan had to go and be _spontaneous, _and now he had vows and she had nothing, and _how dare he do this to her?  
_

"Rory," he pulled her closer. The pastor cleared his throat and she blushed, stepping back to her original spot. "Rory, I'm sorry, I know we agreed not to have our own vows, but...you know me. I'm spontaneous."

Everyone in the church laughed at this, and she only blushed harder.

"I love you, Rory. I don't think I'm _ever _going to get tired of saying that," he grinned. "All my life I've been _Logan Huntzberger, _the guy who gets by on Daddy's money. You changed that. You changed me, for the better. And because you did that, I am _so_ happy that I get to spend the rest of my life with you, whether you call me 'Master and Commander' or no. Although, it is preferable." He bit his lip and let out a breath, growing more serious. "Today, I become a man; a husband. I become someone who accountable to someone other than myself. Someone _more important to me_ than myself. I promise to love you, cherish you, to stay beside you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. I promise to share your sorrows and your worries, your happy times, sad times, your crazy times, _all _of your times. But most of all, Ms. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden III, I promise to always respect you and make sure you always get your coffee. Because, honestly, you've been kind enough to give me the opportunity, and I couldn't say no to you even if I tried."

She was crying by now, sniffling slightly, tears running down her face. "I love you, too. And I just... God, _so much, _Logan, so much. It's just... I can't remember what life was like before you, and I don't even want to try. These past nine months have been crazy, it's been a whirlwind of falling in love and finishing college and I think I'm finally growing up," she laughed, wiping away tears. "I'm honored that you changed your ways for me, that you trusted me enough and respected me enough to give me all of you. _I _promise to love and cherish you, to make sure you don't work too hard, to help you become whoever, _whatever _you want to be. I promise to stand by your side, no matter what, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, through times of happiness and travail and you're my best friend. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather marry."

He slipped the ring on her finger then, an added weight she hadn't mentally prepared herself for, and for half a second she thought to just stand and stare at it before she realized that she had to put one on him. As soon as she slipped his ring on, they both looked expectantly at the minister, who nodded, chuckling.

"By the power vested in my by the state of Connecticut, I know pronounce you Man...and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Logan wasted no time in pulling her to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Hi, Mrs. Huntzberger." And then his lips were on hers and she was smiling into the kiss and they were _married. _

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Logan James Elias Huntzberger."

Holy _cow. _

She was now Mrs. Lorelai Leigh Logan James Elias Huntzberger. But then Logan smiled at her and her stomach swooped, and it struck her then that she was still just Rory.

_Huntzberger. _

"I love you," he whispered, the pad of his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. "Mrs. Huntzberger."

Her stomach swooped again, and she grinned. "I love hearing that."

"Mrs. Huntzberger," he whispered again, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Mrs. Rory Huntzberger. I love you."

"I have a feeling I'm going to be hearing that a lot today," she joked.

"Oh, Ace, you're gonna be hearing a lot of that for the rest of your _life."_

As they made their way down the aisle, everyone started standing up to head outside.

"I can't believe I'm this giddy."

"I'm kind of incredulous myself, Ace."

"I _love _you," she grinned.

He chuckled. "Right back at you."

_Nate in a tux should be illegal_, April thought as she walked down the aisle, the boy in question walking right beside her. The aisle was small, though, and people from the pews were flooding into it behind her, trying to make their way out of the church. As a result, Nate had wrapped his arm around her, bringing her as close to him as was possible and started walking forward.

He smelt really good.

He looked really good.

After not seeing him in person for a month, seeing him just _there_ made her dizzy. Like she wasn't going crazy anymore because the guy she was in love with actually existed and wasn't a figment of her imagination.

But what if he didn't want her anymore? He had come up to her nervously last night, and she had been so scared of what he was going to say that she had kissed him on his cheek and tried to hightail out as fast as possible.

It really sucked being in a relationship where she actually _cared. _

"You look really pretty," he whispered into her ear, leaning down. She almost stopped walking, but he pushed her forward, so that they wouldn't block the rest of the aisle. Instead, she just wrapped her arm around his waist, a smile unconsciously forming on her face.

**Wedding Reception. Sometime after 6 o'clock. **

'_You are the light, to my soul. You are my purpose, you're everything. And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you?'_

Of all songs for her sister and Logan to choose for their first dance, it had to be the one song that had the power to make her cry?

If she was 21, she'd be drunk by now.

"This is such a pretty song," Nate said, stepping up to her. She had been standing alone a little bit away from the bar, staring at the dance floor wistfully, wishing he was still standing next to her, his scent filling her sense. And then he was, and the chorus started, everyone was filling up the dance floor. "Don't you think so?"

'_But you tell me, how could it be, any better than this?' _

"Let's dance," she announced.

"As you wish."

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, putting one arm on her hip, the other in the air, holding hers.

"Oh, are we doing this the real way?"

"I dunno. Do you wanna do the watered-down high school version?"

"Yeah," she paused. "It's easier to kiss you that way."

"Then by all means," he smirked back, letting go of her hand and wrapping both arms around her waist.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too. I was totally looking forward to getting to make out with you when I got back but then you gypped me of that and I got a measly kiss on the cheek. Wanna explain what that was about?" he raised his eyebrows.

She blushed. "I was nervous."

"Are you still?"

"Yes," she answered honestly. "Being around you makes me nervous."

He rested his forehead on hers. "Do I give you _butterflies?"_

"Shut up, Nate!"

"I'm just kidding." She raised her eyebrows. "Okay, no I'm not. I give you butterflies."

"You sound proud."

"Of course I'm proud. It's nice to be in a relationship where the other person is putting as much on the line for you as you are for them, you know?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I know." She tugged on his tie, something that she'd seen Rory do to Logan countless times before, and Nate easily complied.

"Do I get to kiss you now?"

"Yep."

"Thank God."

Thank God, indeed.

"So," Logan said. They were dancing to their first song, Everything by Lifehouse, and for the past two minutes, neither one of them had said a word.

"Soooo," she said.

"This is nice."

"I love you."

"Is it weird that I'm still not sick of saying that? Or hearing it?"

"I don't think so. I mean, it _is _our wedding day."

"If I ever forget the sixteenth of July again, you will murder me, won't you."

"You can bet your bottom dollar on it, Annie."

"That's really reassuring, Ace."

"Anytime. It's what I'm here for."

"You're my wife."

"I am," she sighed contently, resting her head on his chest. "We should do this every day."

"Get married?" he asked amusedly.

"No, dance. But, you know, we can get married again if you want to."

"I'll get married a million times if I get to marry you."

"I can't even say 'so cheesy' today. It's like I'm in this little bubble of happiness where cheese makes me happy."

"I'm so full of cheese, Ace, you don't even know."

"Oh, God."

"I love you."

"Hey, you know what?" she raised her head to look up at him. "I think I love you, too."

"I'm so glad you think this _after _you marry me."

"Hey, come on now. My dad asked me to second guess myself."

"And what did you say?"

"That there was no one else I'd rather marry."

"No one else I'd-"

"Are you wearing socks?" she asked suddenly, interrupting his sentence.

"Uh, no, I forgot this morning. Nerves. Why?"

She simply laughed in response.

_Ting, ting, ting. _

Nate tapped his fork on his glass, trying to get everyone's attention. When the roomful of people started to pay attention to him, he cleared his throat. He wasn't nervous, he'd done this before. But this was Logan and Rory's _wedding reception. _If he screwed this up, he was toast.

"Hey everyone, I hope you're all having a good evening." There were various murmurs of assent, so he continued. "I had a speech prepared, but uh… it must have fallen out of my pocket earlier."

Lies. April had pushed his jacket off earlier and it had fallen to the floor. That small note card was probably stuck beneath some fur coats in the coatroom.

Not that anyone needed to know they were ever in the coatroom.

"SO, I'm just going to go with what was in my head and hope it turns out complimentary." More laughs from the crowd. Some of these people actually sounded _amused. _"Logan has always been as much of a brother to me as my actual brother, Derek. This can be attributed to a number of reasons, but I think it's just because Logan cares. He's the middle one in all of us cousins, but he's been there for each and every one of us, no matter what. He's fiercely loyal and overprotective, and you'll never know it just looking at him, but he'll go out of his way to make you happy if you mean something to him. It's probably because of Logan that my brother's married right now. It _is _because of Logan that Honor and Emerson are married to awesome guys.

"Unfortunately, I never thought that he'd have the same chance at happiness as everyone else. He never seemed to _want_ it. Or, at least, if he did, he never showed it. But then he met Rory, and for the first time, he seemed _fired up _about a girl. Someone who didn't care that he was Logan Huntzberger or that he was rich or who his dad was. No offense, Uncle Mitch. Ro," Nate turned to his sister-in-law. "I, personally, do not think Logan could do any better than you. You are way out of his league, but I cannot imagine him being with anyone else, and I just…_thank you _for making him happy, because he deserves it. You do, too, and I just want to say, congratulations, to the both of you. Everyone deserves what you two have, and the two of you wouldn't have gotten it if you didn't. I wish you both an extremely happy married life. To Rory and Logan!"

"To Rory and Logan!" everyone cheered. Nate sat down, winking at his girlfriend as she stood up. '_Beat that_,' he mouthed.

'_Bring it,' _she said back.

"Hey everyone!" she waved her fingers, smiling coyly. Again, everyone answered her at the same time. She waited until they were done to start speaking again. "Nate and I promised that we wouldn't make this a competition, but then he winked at me when he was sitting down and I decided that I could probably give a better speech than my boyfriend. So, you know, clap harder for me." At this, Logan started laughing loudly, and Rory was biting back a smile, too.

"Ro's my big sister. All my life, I've heard about Rory this and Rory that and just how perfect and amazing Rory was. I used to hate it. But then I grew up a little bit, and people started talking about me and how perfect and amazing _I _was and would be, and then I realized: Being under the spotlight is hard. My sister is my role model. She did so many things that I would never do, simply because I don't feel the need, or I'm not strong enough to face the pressure. A coming-out? No thank you, I don't want to wear the dress, or find the escort, or…" she shook her head. "Just no. But Rory did it. She's done so much, from all her high school things to all her college things and she's just amazing. The one thing she never thought much about, though, was love. My sister's a planner. She never mentioned it, but I'm sure she had it in her life plan somewhere; that she'd have kids by the time she was thirty. I wasn't even close to doubting that it would happen. She's _Rory, _of course it would, but that it would happen with Logan Huntzberger, I had no idea. When I first met Logan, I thought he was nice. Then he decided to break up a date between me and some guy I liked. Needless to say, as mad as I was, I was pretty impressed. Within a week, the guy was already treating us like his own family, overprotective macho man tendencies and all. Ro fell for it hook-line-and sinker, and it didn't take long after to realize that this was it. Whether she knew it or not, she was going to fall in love with this man. I'm really glad you found her, Logan. You're honestly the best thing that could ever happen to her. I don't feel like I'm giving away a sister. I feel like I've gained a brother. So yes, I love you, too. Congratulations!"

And then suddenly, it was over. The cake had been cut, the food eaten, the pictures taken. Slowly, everyone had started to leave, and eventually, the only people left were the photographers, the videographers, the DJ, and the family.

Just as Logan and Rory were trying to sneak away (really, what took them so long?), Emily called them back.

"Hold on, you two," she called behind to their backs. "Let's get one last family picture in, alright?"

Grumbling, all of them got together. Some half-asleep, some half-drunk, all of them happy.

The three young mothers were in the front row to the right, Honor and Emerson with their sons on their laps, Katarina's pregnant stomach sticking out. Logan and Rory were in the center, Gigi and Will standing in front of them. Nate and April, his arms around her, her grin almost as wide as her sister. Lorelai and Chris, her trying to get him to smile, him kissing her cheek. And the grandparents were in there, too, with Logan's aunt and uncle and his parents. There were a lot of them, and they weren't all close, but there it was.

One wedding, one large extended family.

Click.

* * *

a/n: and that's it. It's done. I really hoped you liked it. Once again, thank you. A lot of people have been asking about the sequel. Let me clear some stuff up.

I like drama as much as the next person, but I like to keep things realistic. Apart from the arranged marriage thing, this story was just a Romance story, a simple thing about two people falling in love. The next story will have a different plot, set in the future. Some will be more cynical, some jaded, some mature, some douche-baggy, but they will all have changed, grown up some. I hope you won't be disappointed.

Basically, Nate proposes, April says no. It's my take on what SHOULD have happened with Rory and Logan (hence Nate going to _Palo Alto_). But, since Nate and April are two different people, it'll be different. It kicks off on Rory and Logan's younger daughter's fifth birthday.

Anyone have any name suggestions? I already have mine, but if you're logged in and have a PM feature, and you guess one, I'll send you a sneak peek. Or, leave an e-mail address.

Sequel should be up soon!

ALSO, I need to know, what field of business should Nate be into? Business, Law, Medicine?


End file.
